Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow 250m west of Ferndown Upper School (1015791)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bowl barrow 250m west of Ferndown Upper School PARISH: FERNDOWN TOWN DISTRICT: EAST DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 27477 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SU06670073 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a bowl barrow, 250m west of Ferndown Upper School, one of a dispersed group of barrows on the heathland in this area. The barrow has a recorded diameter of 20m and survives to a height of c.1m. The mound is surrounded by a quarry ditch from which material was excavated during its construction. This has become infilled over the years but will survive as a buried feature c.2m wide. The mound shows signs of disturbance, especially on its north west side. 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. Despite some disturbance to the mound, the bowl barrow 250m west of Ferndown Upper School is a comparatively 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 23rd November 1961 as: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 570 NAME: Hampreston round barrow, 270 yds WSW of Ferndown Hotel The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 27477 NAME: Bowl barrow 250m west of Ferndown Upper School SCHEDULING AFFIRMED ON 07th April 1997

Record last edited

Oct 11 2024 1:07PM