Monument record MDO3436 - Bowl barrow, Woodsford

A mound interpreted as a probable bowl barrow, now ploughed almost flat. This monument is thought to be one of two barrows in the 'neighbourhood of Woodsford' investigated by the antiquarian Charles Warne, who found a number of urns in each mound. The site of Bronze Age barrow is visible as a cropmark ring ditch on aerial photographs of 1947.

Situated in the parish of Woodsford (SY 7689). Two barrows excavated by Warne and numbered by him 44 and 45. The barrows were on heath
brought into cultivation in Warne's time. No 44 contained twelve urns, some inverted, and mostly bucket or barrel type. Evidently Late Bronze Age. No 45 contained four Late Bronze Age urns. Fragments of a crushed globular urn (?from No 44 or 45) from Woodsford are in the Dorset County Museum .
Situated some few hundred yards from the "Ancient British Village". <1-3>

This monument is thought to be one of two barrows in the 'neighbourhood of Woodsford' investigated by the antiquarian Charles Warne, who found a number of urns in each mound. <3>

Two barrows, Woodsford 1a and 1b, listed. Details as Authority 1. <4>

These barrows were not identified during field investigation. <5>

The site of Bronze Age barrow described is visible as a cropmark ring ditch on aerial photographs of 1947. The ring ditch measures 24 m in diameter. <7> A second ring ditch is located 22 m to the west (see MDO3435). This site was digitally plotted as part of the Wild Purbeck Mapping Project.

<1> Warne, C, 1866, The Celtic Tumuli of Dorset (1866), 55 (Monograph). SWX8166.

<2> Society of Antiquaries of London, 1933, The Antiquaries Journal 13, 448 (Serial). SDO16730.

<3> Grinsell, L V, 1935-54, Dorset Barrows 1935-54 Manuscript (Unpublished document). SWX1556.

<4> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 158 (Monograph). SDO132.

<5> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 13-DEC-59 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<6> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 620 (Monograph). SDO150.

'Only two probable barrows are known and they are likely to be the mounds dug into by Warne in the 'neighbourhood of Woodsford'. Both are now almost ploughed flat, though showing as soil-marks on V.A.P. CPE/UK 1934: 5074. In one, barely 2 ft. high, were twelve urns, both upright and inverted; three or four were decorated. The other contained four urns immediately below the surface. … (7) Bowl (?) (SY 78 NE; 77518948) in similar position 47 yds. S.E. of (6).'

<7> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/2018 4020-21 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13772.

<8> National Record of the Historic Environment, 453872 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 10 2024 11:19AM