Scheduled Monument: Parley Barrow, a bowl barrow on the corner of Ellesfield Drive and Druid's Close (1015792)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Parley Barrow, a bowl barrow on the corner of Ellesfield Drive and Druid's Close PARISH: WEST PARLEY DISTRICT: EAST DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 27478 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SZ07899867 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes Parley Barrow, a bowl barrow on the corner of Ellesfield Drive and Druid's Close, one of a dispersed group of barrows on the former heathland on Parley Common. The barrow has a mound, 32m in diameter and 2.5m high, surrounded by a quarry ditch, from which material was excavated during its construction. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.3m wide. A second barrow c.45m to the south east was destroyed over 25 years ago prior to the construction of the housing estate and is not included in the scheduling. All fence posts, pavements, road and drive surfaces and built garden structures are excluded from the scheduled area although the ground beneath these features has been included. 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. Parley Barrow on the corner of Ellesfield Drive and Druid's Close is a well preserved example of its class and will contain archaeological remains providing information about Bronze Age burial practices, economy and environment. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 8th November 1928 as: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 95A NAME: Parley Barrow The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 27478 NAME: Parley Barrow, a bowl barrow on the corner of Ellesfield Drive and Druid's Close SCHEDULING AFFIRMED ON 16th May 1997

Record last edited

Oct 25 2024 9:33AM