Monument record MDO3167 - Bell-Disc barrow in the Ridge Hill group, Winterborne St Martin

Mound is 79 feet in diameter and 8 feet high, with possible surrounding ditch about 10 foot wide at its foot. Berm varies in width from 51 feet on north to 57 feet on south. Outside an unbroken surrounding ditch surrounding ditch 18 feet wide and 2 feet deep is a bank fifteen feet wide and two feet high with modern breaks.

Bell-disc Barrow (SY 66328666) - Crossed by parish boundary. On N. slope just off highest ground, it lies at E. end of line of eleven barrows and is clearly visible on the sky-line from 'long mound' in Maiden Castle. Mound is 79 ft. in diam. and 8 ft. high, with possible surrounding ditch about 10 ft. wide at its foot. Berm varies in width from 51 ft. on N. to 57 ft. on S. Outside an unbroken surrounding ditch 18 ft. wide and 2 ft. deep is a bank 15 ft. wide and 2 ft. high with modern breaks. Total external diam. about 250 ft., though E. third of berm, outer ditch and bank, formerly in Upwey and now in Bincombe, has been ploughed. Top of mound slightly disturbed. The whole monument is exceptional in its size and proportions. <1> <3>

SY 66318666. This bell-disc barrow is generally as described by RCHM <3>, and is in a good state of preservation, being under permament pasture. The overall diameter is 76.5m, and the central mound has a diameter of 22.0m and a height of 2.4m. Re-surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD. <4>

A disc barrow. Mound is 79 feet in diameter and 8 feet high, with possible surrounding ditch about 10 foot wide at its foot. Berm varies in width from 51 feet on north to 57 feet on south. Outside an unbroken surrounding ditch surrounding ditch 18 feet wide and 2 feet deep is a bank fifteen feet wide and two feet high with modern breaks.

Visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs <8>. Digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Project.

<1> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 155 (Monograph). SDO132.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

(SY 66318666) Tumulus (NR)

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 468 (Monograph). SDO150.

'(67) Bell-disc (66328666) 112 yds. N.N.E. of (66) and crossed by parish boundary. On N. slope just off highest ground, it lies at E. end of line of eleven barrows and is clearly visible on the sky-line from 'long mound' (23) in Maiden Castle. Mound is 79 ft. in diam. and 8 ft. high, with possible surrounding ditch about 10 ft. wide at its foot. Berm varies in width from 51 ft. on N. to 57 ft. on S. Outside an unbroken surrounding ditch 18 ft. wide and 2 ft. deep is a bank 15 ft. wide and 2 ft. high with modern breaks. Total external diam. about 250 ft., though E. third of berm, outer ditch and bank, formerly in Upwey and now in Bincombe, has been ploughed. Top of mound slightly disturbed. The whole monument is exceptional in its size and proportions. On S.E. is an almost straight alignment 230 yds. long formed by (66) and Bincombe (13, 15 and 16) (LVG, plate III).'

<4> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 16-MAY-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<5> Papworth, M, 1983, The South Dorset Ridgeway Project: condition and management survey, SDR 397 (Index). SDO12304.

This barrow is in a good state of preservation and is 76.5m in overall diameter. The bank, ditch and berm have been ploughed out on the Bincombe side. The western side is in permanent pasture. 1/2/B

<6> Wessex Archaeology, 2011, South Dorset Ridgeway Barrow Survey 2010 (Unpublished document). SDO12407.

<7> Ordnance Survey, 11-JUN-1978, NMR OS 78/808 094-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11842.

<8> National Record of the Historic Environment, 451899 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 30 2022 3:12PM