Scheduled Monument: Three bowl barrows on High Bullen 230m south west of Hazelbower (SM31061)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Three bowl barrows on High Bullen 230m south west of Hazelbower PARISH: WHITECHURCH CANONICORUM DISTRICT: WEST DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 31061 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SY40629422 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes three adjacent bowl barrows, aligned east-west, on High Bullen, 230m south west of Hazelbower, on a south facing slope just below the summit of the hill and close to the parish boundary. The barrows have mounds ranging between 4m and 6m in diameter and between 0.3m and 0.5m in height. Each is surrounded by a quarry ditch. These have become infilled over the years, but will survive as buried features approximately 1m 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 on High Bullen 230m south west of Hazelbower are unusually small in size and will contain archaeological remains providing information about Bronze Age burial practices, economy and environment. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 11th June 1969 as: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 753 NAME: Three Round Barrows on High Barrows The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 31061 NAME: Three bowl barrows on High Bullen 230m south west of Hazelbower SCHEDULING REVISED ON 07th July 1999

Record last edited

Jan 30 2012 11:06AM