Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow 800m NNE of Gore Farm on Melbury Down (1013743)

The monument includes a ditched bowl barrow 800m NNE of Gore Farm on Melbury Down. The barrow lies in a prominent position below the crest of the hill and overlooking the valley to the north. The barrow has a mound 15m in diameter and 1.3m high. The mound is surrounded by a ditch, 2m wide and 0.3m deep, which is visible on all but its south side. Beyond this is a short length of an outer bank, c.2m wide and 0.2m high, visible on the downhill north west side of the barrow ditch. There is a depression in the centre of the mound which may represent an unrecorded antiquarian excavation. Excluded from the scheduling are all fence posts, although the ground beneath these is 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. The bowl barrow 800m NNE of Gore Farm on Melbury Down is a comparatively well preserved example of its class located in a prominent position. The barrow will contain archaeological remains, providing information about Bronze Age burial practices, economy and environment. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 20th November 1961 as: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 561 NAME: Round barrow north west of Hatt's Barn, Melbury Abbas The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 27347 NAME: Bowl barrow 800m NNE of Gore Farm on Melbury Down SCHEDULING REVISED ON 22nd April 1996

Record last edited

Oct 11 2024 2:56PM