Monument record MDO3184 - Bowl barrow in the Eweleaze Barn group, Winterborne St Martin

A Bronze Age bowl barrow, part of a linear barrow cemetery. Excavated in 1905. Also visible as an earthwork and a cropmark on aerial photographs.

(Centred SY 648874) Tumuli [NR] (three times). (1)

Ten barrows including a pound barrow ('F') and a quadruple bell barrow ('K'), form an irregular linear cemetery orientated roughly North West to South East on top of the second spur east of Shorn Hill. 'K' is unique in England. 'A', 'C', 'D' and 'F' were excavated by St George Gray and Prideaux in 1902.

'C' Bowl (?) (64808757) 150 yds South of 'B'. Only slight mound remains. Diam 93 ft, ht 2 3/4 ft before excavation, which revealed two primary crouched male inhumations, one with fragments of food-vessel and infant's bones, and a secondary cremation in woven grass bag under collared urn resting on stone slab. Near centre, circular hole 1 3/4 ft in diam and 1 1/2 ft deep contained animal bones. Flint implements, cores and flakes and a shale disc were in mound. (2,3)

'C' SY 64808757. Bowl barrow, ploughed almost flat. Diameter 16.0m. approximately, height 0.3m. No visible ditch. Re-surveyed at 1:2500 on M.S.D.

(SY64828728; 64828720; 64818712) The cropmarks of three probable barrows on Crawford air photograph, could not be traced in arable field. (4)

A Bronze Age bowl barrow, part of a linear barrow cemetery comprising bowl barrows, a pond barrow, and a quadruple bell barrow (MDO3183-91).

Possible bowl barrow, only slight mound remains, 93ft. In diam and 2.75ft. High before excavation, which revealed two primary crouched male inhumations, one with fragments of food vessel and infants bones, and a secondary cremation in woven grass bag under a collared urn resting on a stone slab. Near the centre there was a circular hole, 1.75ft. In diam and 1.5ft. Deep, it contained animal bones. Flint implements, cores and flakes, and a shale disc were also found within the mound. An aerial photograph shows a narrow ditch 65-75ft. In diameter {1-2}.

Two primary crouched male interments (one with food vessel) and secondary cremation beneath early / middle Bronze Age collard urn. The burnt bones were wrapped in a pouch woven from some kind of grass {3}.

In addition, this site is visible as an earthwork and a cropmark on aerial photographs {4-6}, with the mound measuring approximately 21 metres in diameter and an outer ditch of 2 meters. This site was digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project.

An Early Bronze Age bowl barrow, excavated in 1905 by Harold St George Gray and C Prideaux. The barrow is listed by Grinsell as Winterborne St Martin 44 and by RCHME as Winterborne St Martin 84. It is part of the Eweleaze Barn barrow group (see SY 68 NW 56 and associated records). At the time of excavation, the mound had already been reduced by ploughing, and was 93 feet in diameter and 2.75 feet high. No ditch was noted, but it seems that none was looked for. Beneath the mound were two crouched male inhumations, each in its own pit. One was accompanied by food vessel sherds and the bones of one or more infants. The other was unaccompanied. A secondary cremation was found in the mound, comprising an inverted collared urn resting on a stone slab, and containing cremated human bone in what appears to have been a woven grass bag or pouch. Near the centre beneath the mound was a circular pit 1.75 feet in diameter and 1.5 feet deep. The fill contained animal bones. A number of flints were recovered from the mound during the excavation, including scrapers, knives, cores and flakes. Also found was a shale disc and a sherd of "British" pottery. Air photographs suggest the presence of a narrow ditch, visible as a cropmark, surrounding the mound. It is circa 65-75 feet in diameter. In 1980, the Ordnance Survey recorded the barrow as having been ploughed almost flat. A low mound circa 16 metres in diameter and 0.3 metres high was visible, but there were no surface traces of the ditch. This barrow was originally described as part of SY 68 NW 56. That record should be consulted for additional sources and information. <10>

Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 06-MAY-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1904, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club for 1903, 25-35 (Serial). SDO16.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 469 (Monograph). SDO150.

<3> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 154 (Monograph). SDO132.

<4> Royal Air Force, 22-1-1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431 3295-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11932.

<5> Royal Air Force, 17-1-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 1063-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11906.

<6> unknown date, NMR SY 6487/1 (CCC 11752/1633) (Aerial Photograph). SDO11941.

<7> Papworth, M, 1983, The South Dorset Ridgeway Project: condition and management survey, SDR 345 (Index). SDO12304.

<8> Cox P and Valentin J, 1997, An archaeological evaluation of the site of a proposed agricultural dwelling house at Eweleaze Barn Dairy, Winterborne St Martin, Dorchester, Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO12514.

<9> Wessex Archaeology, 2011, South Dorset Ridgeway Barrow Survey 2010 (Unpublished document). SDO12407.

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 452448 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1268312 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 27 2024 5:05PM