Monument record MDO3317 - Bowl barrow, one of the Longlands Group, Winterbourne Abbas

Site of a Bronze Age bowl barrow visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs. It is part of a wider barrow cemetery. In 1970 this monument was reported as being around 52 feet in diameter with a mound about 14 feet high. The base has been steepened due to ploughing.

Group of barrows at Longlands, including one possible bell, four in a rough alignment south west-north east along spine of spur, with possible long barrow at north east end. The three south west barrows are just above the 500 ft contour and the others above 400 ft. All damaged. Near foot of steep slope to north immediately south of the main road three further barrows at 60449020, 60519025 and 60559018 are shown on OS (1811) but there is now no sign of them.

`D` Bowl 220 yds north east to `C`. Diam 52 ft, ht 14 ft though base steepened by ploughing. <1> <3>

`D` SY 60188992. Elongated bowl barrow, 18.0m. by 14.5m. height 3.5m. In arable but not ploughed over. No visible remains of a ditch. Re-surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD. <4>A

Bronze Age bowl barrow visible as cropmarks on aerial photographs. It forms part of a group of six barrows, including a disc barrow and a bell barrow, which together are known as the Longlands barrow cemetery. A possible Neolithic long barrow (MDO3284) may have acted as a focus for the development of the cemetery during the Bronze Age. <8-9>

<1> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 82, 148 (Monograph). SDO132.

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

(`C` - SY 60038979; `D` - SY 60188993; `E` - SY 60478995) Tumulus (NR) (three times).

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 464 (Monograph). SDO150.

'(46) Bowl (60188993) 220 yds. N.E. of (45). Diam. 52 ft., ht. 14 ft., though base steepened by ploughing.'

<4> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<5> Papworth, M, 1983, The South Dorset Ridgeway Project: condition and management survey, SDR 149 (Index). SDO12304.

Diameter further reduced by close ploughing around the base of the mound. A soil mark possibly representing a ditch around the mound was visible. The barrow is located in the north of this area with a chalky spread to the south which may represent another ploughed out mound. The mound is covered in established grass and has suffered slight erosion by livestock. When the site was visited a metre wide strip had been left around the mound which should protect it from further damage in the future. 1/2/C

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

<7> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<8> 23-APR-1980, NMR SY 5060/2 (1749/086) (Aerial Photograph). SDO11119.

<9> 21-APR-1984, NMR OS/84037 304-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11118.

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 452337 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 23 2025 11:58AM