Monument record MDO3395 - Bowl barrow, one of the Sheep Down Group, Winterbourne Steepleton

A possible Bronze Age bowl barrow. One of a group of several barrows located on Sheep Down. Also visible as an earthwork mound on aerial photographs.

Five round barrows, including a double bowl and a pond barrow lie above apparent limit of 'Celtic' fields on a broad spur running North East from the Ridgeway at about 460 ft above OD. … 'D' Bowl (?) (60758902) 30 yds South east of E mound of 'C' Diam 50 ft, ht 3 1/2 ft. <1> <3>

'D' SY 60758902. Bowl barrow in arable, not ploughed over. Diameter 17.0m., height 1.7m. No visible ditch. A, C, D, E Re-surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD.<4>

Site of a possible Bronze Age bowl barrow. It is one of a group of several Bronze Age Barrows noted on Sheep Down (MDO3392-6) that lie above apparent limit of 'Celtic' fields (MDO3414) on a broad spur running North East from the Ridgeway at about 460 ft above OD.

It is also visible as an earthwork mound on aerial photographs <7-11>, measuring approximately 16 metres in diameter and was digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project.

<1> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 156 (Monograph). SDO132.

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

('B' - SY 60688901; 'C' - SY 60718904; 'D' - SY 60758902; 'E' - SY 60868906) Tumuli (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, 472 (Monograph). SDO150.

<4> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 12-MAR-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<5> Papworth, M, 1983, The South Dorset Ridgeway Project: condition and management survey, SDR 190 (Index). SDO12304.

As above but infested by badgers and sides steepened by ploughing. No visible ditch. Covered in tuft grass. Mound unploughed.

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 Wessex Archaeology, 2011, South Dorset Ridgeway Barrow Survey 2010 (Unpublished document).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

<7> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 3097-8 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11790.

<8> Royal Air Force, 04-NOV-1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1824 4279-81 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11791.

<9> 28-6-2000, NMR SY6089/13 (18803/10) (Aerial Photograph). SDO11815.

<10> 21-4-1984, NMR OS/84038 359-60 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11807.

<11> 14-6-1988, NMR OS/88184 619 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11820.

<12> National Record of the Historic Environment, 452384 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 14 2023 1:21PM