Scheduled Monument: Two bowl barrows 280m north of Clyffe House (1016377)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Two bowl barrows 280m north of Clyffe House PARISH: TINCLETON DISTRICT: WEST DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 29582 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SY78159242 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes two bowl barrows 280m north of Clyffe House. The western barrow has a mound previously recorded as being 16m in diameter and 0.6m high. About 20m to the south east the second barrow has a mound, 13m in diameter and 1.2m high, surrounded at a distance of some 3m from the base of the mound, by a vague bank which encloses an area approximately 20m in diameter. Taylor's map of 1770 depicts these barrows as small rings enclosing trees and marked as plantation, suggesting that the bank is almost certainly a tree planting ring of relatively recent date. Both barrows are surrounded by quarry ditches from which material was excavated during their construction. These have become infilled over the years but survive as buried features about 2m wide. ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar, although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form and a diversity of burial practices. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection. The bowl barrows 280m north of Clyffe House are well preserved examples of their class and will contain archaeological remains providing information about Bronze Age burial practices, economy and environment. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 9th March 1961 as: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 530 NAME: Two Round barrows North of Clyffe House The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 29582 NAME: Two bowl barrows 280m north of Clyffe House SCHEDULING REVISED ON 22nd December 1997

Record last edited

Oct 7 2024 1:42PM