Monument record MDO5266 - Bowl barrow on west end of Muston Down, Winterborne Kingston

One of a group of bowl barrows on a spur, and situated within a prehistoric field system. This monument lies on a slight south west slope, and in 1970 was reported as 42 feet in diameter with a mound about three feet high. Aerial photographs taken in 1947 show the ditch of this barrow adjoining the ditch of a neighbouring barrow. The bowl barrow mound and outer ring ditch are visible on aerial photographs taken in 1953 and 1965 and were digitally recorded during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM.

Group of three bowl barrows of chalky construction, and one possible barrow. All are now ditchless, and under the plough.

A (ST 86550051) Diameter 13.0m, height 0.8m.

In 1940-41 a skeleton was ploughed out from one of the mounds, probably 'D', by C F Carter. Many stones have been removed from this barrow group. <2>

Group of round barrows: A-Bowl barrow 42ft in diameter by 3 ft high, lying on a slight SW slope. (3)

The site of a Bronze Age bowl barrow is visible on aerial photographs <4-5> and was digitally recorded during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM. The site comprises a barrow mound 11.5m across and outer ring ditch. A second smaller barrow (MDO45646) abuts the northwest side.

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1902 (Map). SWX1540.

(Centred ST 86550055) Tumuli (NR) (four shown)

<2> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 20/11/1954 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<2.1> Mr Gray, Mr Gray (farm worker) Winterborne Kingston (Verbal communication). SDO20270.

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

<4> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 304 (Monograph). SDO136.

‘These monuments lie in the N. and W. of the parish; most of them have been damaged, some severely so, by ploughing. … Five barrows (32–6) lie on a large spur running N.-S. which forms the W. part of Muston Down. Monument (32) is at 350 ft. O.D. on the spine of the spur; the others are further N. and just W. of the spur top, at over 400 ft. O.D.; they lie in an area of fragmentary 'Celtic' field remains (Group (66)), and have been heavily ploughed. … (33) Bowl (86550051), 440 yds. N. of (32), lies on a slight S.W. slope. Diam. 42 ft., ht. 3 ft.’

<5> Royal Air Force, 20-APR-1953, RAF/1090 F21 008 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19475.

<6> 01-MAY-1965, AAC 7027/ORACLEF3 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19476.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 205678 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 10 2023 10:56AM