Monument record MDO3582 - Barrow, one of Thornicombe Group, Blandford St Mary

The site of a Bronze Age round barrow is visible as a cropmark ring ditch 20m across on aerial photographs taken in 2007. It appears to have an internal hollow and is possible a pond barrow; it was digitally recorded during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM.

Irregular hollow, possible site of a barrow, appears as a ring ditch on aerial photograph.

Thorncombe Group comprises six barrows at 300 ft. O.D. on a S.-facing slope near the summit of a broad E.-W. ridge. On air photographs all the barrows appear as ring ditches but on the ground only the first four are visible.

(A) Barrow (87280368) is now a low irregular mound about 36 ft. across surrounded by a very shallow ditch some 12 ft. wide; the whole barrow lies in a depression, set into the slope, measuring about 75 ft. across.

(B) Barrow (87290371), is now visible as a roughly circular, flat-bottomed depression about 75 ft. across and up to 3 ft. deep.

(C) Bowl barrow (87280373), is a flat-topped mound 42 ft. in diameter and 9 ins. high, surrounded by a ditch 10 ft. wide and 1 1/2 ft. deep.

(D) Barrow (87300374), is now an irregular hollow 66 ft. across and up to 3 ft. deep.

(E) Barrow (87300370), is visible only on air photographs as a ring-ditch about 30 ft. in diameter.

(F) Barrow (87300372), is in similar condition. Diam. about 40 ft. (These barrows may include some opened by Henry Durden in 1838. See ST 80 SE 12). <1-2>

The site of a Bronze Age round barrow is visible as a cropmark ring ditch 20m across on aerial photographs taken in 2007. It appears to have an internal hollow and is possible a pond barrow; it was digitally recorded during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM. <6>

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 1, 45 (Monograph). SDO146.

<2> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 1099-1094, 1094 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17786.

<2.1> Royal Air Force, 17-JAN-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1934 1095-6 (Aerial Photograph). SDO17784.

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

<4> Historic England, Historic England Archive, RCH01/096 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME Inventory: Dorset III (Central): A large collection of archive relating to the RCHME Dorset Inventory Volume III, published in 1970. It contains field surveys and excavation archive. Parish files containing original surveys have been given child collection status.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 205617 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<6> National Monuments Record, 06-JUN-2007, NMR 24630/48 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19491.

Record last edited

Feb 20 2023 4:37PM