Monument record MDO43700 - Barrows, Poole

Two Bronze Age bell barrows, now destroyed by a housing estate at Wallis Down, were completely excavated in the autumn of 1949 by Mr. H.J. Case on behalf of the M.O.W. The barrows were in immediate proximity to each other, and both had been disturbed centrally, probably by former excavators.

Barrow 1 contained an urnless cremation (central). It had a single ditch - a good circle 35' in diameter interrupted by a causeway. A short line of postholes led to this causeway, and here postholes of a gateway or barrier were found. Within the ditch two concentric rings of postholes were in relation to a small mound of turf encased in a thick outer covering of sand and gravel.

Barrow 2 probably once covered a primary burial on the ground surface. A pit of ritual character filled with charcoal and ashes was found near the centre. This barrow also had a single ditch with causeway, in this case an irregular circle 36' in diameter, and its mound had been constructed of turf revetted with soil and covered with sand and gravel. There were many stake-holes under the mound arranged with only moderate regularity.

The construction of both barrows had evidently been accompanied by fires and the scattering of fire-marked pebbles, flint flakes and cores. The only charcoal identified was oak. In the absence of dateable finds it was not possible to assign the barrows to any particular period of the Bronze Age. <2>

Both listed as Bowl Barrows, and 'B' "not a bell barrow in the technical sense". <3>

The sites of these barrows are now occupied by part of a housing estate. <4>

SZ 05689432. Bell barrow, completely excavated by Case in 1949, now built over. The barrow was 43 feet in diameter overall, the central mound being 26 feet in diameter and 2 1/2 feet high. This was surrounded by a berm 3 feet wide within a ditch 5 feet wide and about 2 feet deep, interrupted on the south-east by a causeway 3 1/2 feet wide. The barrow was probably of Early or Middle Bronze Age date.

SZ 05699432. Bell barrow, completely excavated by Case in 1949, now built over. Overall diameter 40 feet, with a central mound 22 feet in diameter and 1 1/2 feet high. The berm was 3-5 feet wide, within an almost perfectly circular ditch 5 feet wide and 2-2 1/2 feet deep interrupted on the south-east by a causeway at least 3 1/2 feet wide. The barrow was probably of Early or Middle Bronze Age date, and possibly earlier than its neighbour.

Excavation report (6). Results as described in auth. (2). <5,6>
Charcoal from the circle of widely-spaced timbers of barrow 2 gives a date of 1260 I 60 bc (G+N-1684). <7>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1932-38 (Map). SWX1540.

(SZ 05689431 & SZ 05699431) Tumuli (NR)

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1950, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1949, 67 (Serial). SDO49.

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

<4> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 14-NOV-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<5> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 447-8 (Monograph). SDO150.

<6> Case, H, 1952, The Excavation of Two Round Barrows at Poole, Dorset, 148-59 (Article in serial). SWX860.

<7> Grinsell, L V, 1982, Dorset Barrows Supplement, 47, 15 (Monograph). SWX1703.

<8> Historic England, Historic England Archive, RCH01/093 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-Eas): A collection of archive relating to the Dorset inventory Volume Dorset II (South East). The archive consists of a wide range of material including original field notes, surveys, profiles, photographs and negatives, measured drawings, and publication proofs, and correspondenc

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 458163 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 12 2024 4:38PM