Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow 250m south of Plantation Farm (1015188)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bowl barrow 250m south of Plantation Farm PARISH: LONG CRICHEL DISTRICT: EAST DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 27465 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): ST95681226 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a bowl barrow adjacent to the parish boundary 250m south of Plantation Farm, part of a group of three barrows west of Thickthorn Wood. The barrow has a mound, 17m in diameter and up to c.1.5m high. The mound has been dug into in the past on the north western side leaving a depression c.6m by 3.5m. Surrounding the mound is a quarry ditch from which material was excavated during its construction. This is visible as a slight surface depression in places and will survive as a buried feature c.3m wide. All fence posts are excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath these features 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 250m south of Plantation Farm, is a comparatively well preserved example of its class and will contain within its buried deposits archaeological remains providing information about Bronze Age burial practices, economy and environment. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 28th March 1958 as: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 355 NAME: Barrow west of Thickthorn Wood The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 27465 NAME: Bowl barrow 250m south of Plantation Farm SCHEDULING AFFIRMED ON 05th March 1997

Record last edited

Oct 11 2024 2:17PM