Monument record MDO4972 - Double Barrow on Barton Hill, Tarrant Hinton

When first recorded this monument was interpreted as a double barrow, part of a group of four Bronze Age round barrows on Barton Hill. In 1972 it was reported as being much reduced by ploughing but visible on aerial photographs as two circular soil marks, each around fifty feet in diameter. More recent examination of aerial photographs, suggests that it may be a single enclosure around two round mounds, rather thatn two circular ditches. It may be a Neolithic long barrow or mortuary enclosure.

Four round barrows on Barton Hill now totally flattened by cultivation, are visible as soil-marks on air photographs; they lie at over 300 ft. above O.D. on the summit of a spur overlooking the Tarrant valley. … (B) Double Barrow (92931150); diam. of each segment about 50 ft. <1>

Air photographs taken on July 25th 2001 show 'A' to be a ring ditch conjoined to or overlapping with east-west aligned elongated enclosure 'B'. The latter may represent a single enclosure around two former round mounds, or may represent a Neolithic long barrow or 'mortuary' enclosure. It is not clear why 'B' was interpreted originally as two circular ditches. 'A' is centred at ST 92901150, and measures up to 19 metres across. 'B' is centred at ST 92931150 and measures 40 metres by 22 metres. There appears to be a large pit immediately adjacent to its external northeast corner. It is just possible that, on cropmark evidence, 'B' is earlier than 'A'. Ring ditch 'C' is 33 metres east of 'B', while ring ditch ST 91 SW 113 is 40 metres south of 'B'. <>

National Record of the Historic Environment, 210301 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

National Monuments Record, NMR ST 9113/1 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18443.

National Monuments Record, 25-JUL-2001, NMR 21351/21 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18442.

National Monuments Record, 25-JUL-2001, ST 9211/26 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18444.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1972, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume IV (North), 101 (Monograph). SDO99.

'Four round barrows on Barton Hill (40-43), now totally flattened by cultivation, are visible as soil-marks on air photographs (N.M.R. ST 9113/1; V 58/RAF/3250: 0135); they lie at over 300 ft. above O.D. on the summit of a spur overlooking the Tarrant valley … (41) Double Barrow (92931150); diam. of each segment about 50 ft.'

Record last edited

Sep 3 2022 10:26AM