Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow in New Planting, forming part of the Three Barrow Clump round barrow cemetery round barrow cemetery (1013246)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bowl barrow in New Planting, forming part of the Three Barrow Clump round barrow cemetery PARISH: WINTERBOURNE ABBAS DISTRICT: WEST DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 22956 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SY59999030 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on a low ridge of the South Dorset Downs overlooking the South Winterbourne valley to the north. The barrow represents an outlier of the Three Barrow Clump round barrow cemetery, which is situated on higher ground 250m to the south west and contains at least eight round barrows in all. The barrow has a mound composed of chalk, earth and flint with a maximum diameter of 11m and a maximum height of c.0.4m. This is surrounded by a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. This is no longer visible at ground level as it has become infilled over the years, but it will survive as a buried feature c.1m wide. ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them, contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are considered worthy of protection. The bowl barrow in New Planting survives well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the Three Barrow Clump cemetery and the landscape in which it was constructed. The round barrow cemetery contains a bell barrow, of which 250 are known nationally and a pond barrow, of which only 60 are known. MONUMENT INCLUDED IN THE SCHEDULE ON 18th September 1996

Record last edited

Oct 15 2024 4:17PM