Monument record MDO14 - Barrow on Wears Hill, Abbotsbury

A Bronze Age bowl barrow, one of a group running along the ridge. In 1952 this monument was reported as being around 31 feet in diameter with a mound 4 feet high, and traces of a ditch on the south-east side.

All bowl barrows; barrows D-G noted by RCHM. 'B' Diameter 15 paces, height 3½ ft, with slight ditch on the SE. <2>

Similar information and positions approximate to those given above except that barrow 'F' is only 10 yds N of barrow 'C'. <3>

'B' and 'C'. Two grass and heather covered bowl barrows each 13.0m diameter and 1.4m and 2.0m high respectively. 'B' has a trench dug in from the west and a ditch on the east side. 'C' has a flat top and no visible ditch. <4>

'B' - SY 55998623. Abbotsbury 7. Bowl barrows listed, details as Authy 2. <5>

SY 560863. Two round barrows on Wears Hill, Scheduled. (Barrows 'B' and 'C'). <7>

The bowl barrow is visible on aerial photographs and was digitally plotted during the the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project. <8>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1903 (Map). SWX1540.

('A' - SY 55968625, - 'B' - SY 55998623; 'C' - SY 56108622) Tumuli (NR)

<2> Grinsell, L V, 1935-54, Dorset Barrows 1935-54 Manuscript (Unpublished document). SWX1556.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 11 (Monograph). SDO97.

‘(32) BARROWS, on or near the ridgeway running along Wears Hill and White Hill on the N. side of the parish, form three groups. The first group consists of seven barrows with a possible outlier to the S. The most westerly (a), bowl barrow, ¼ m. E.S.E. of Abbotsbury Castle, is 31 ft. in diam. and 4 ft. high with traces of a ditch.’

<4> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GCS 21-MAR-55 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<5> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 85 (Monograph). SDO132.

<6> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1967 (Map). SWX1540.

('B' - SY 55998623; 'C' - SY 56108622) Tumulus (NR) (twice)

<7> Department of the Environment, 1978, Department of the Environment (IAM) Ancient Monuments of England (Vol 2), 59 (Monograph). SWX1687.

<8> Royal Air Force, 22-JAN-1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431 3285-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11624.

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 450353 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 23 2024 4:31PM