Monument record MDO5815 - Bronze Age bowl barrow, Long Crichel

A Bronze Age bowl barrow, part of a group on Crichel and Launceston Downs excavated in 1938 before the common was used as a Second World War bombing range. The barrow is no longer extant as an earthwork but is visible as a soilmark on aerial photographs taken in 2005. A circular ditch enclosed an area 30 feet in diameter. The mound stood to a maximum height of a little over 1 foot. Beneath the mound, a central pit was located. This was deeper on the western side than on the eastern, and the deeper side featured an upright bucket urn pottery vessel and a smaller accessory vessel, both covered by a capstone of Purbeck limestone. This deeper part of the pit was packed with charcoal and ash. Presumably there is a possibility that this represents a secondary deposit, involving deepening of an earlier pit, but this is not clear from the report. This central area, including the pit, was covered by a cairn of flints 1 foot high and 14 feet in diameter.

The Bronze Age bowl barrow is visible as a soilmark centred at ST 9618 1112 on aerial photographs taken in 2005. <5>

Part of a group on Crichel and Launceston Downs excavated in 1938 (see ST 91 SE 58, 60 & 157) before the common was used as a Second World War bombing range (see ST 91 SE 248). The barrow is no longer extant as an earthwork but is visible as a soilmark on aerial photographs taken in 2005. A circular ditch enclosed an area 30 feet in diameter. The mound stood to a maximum height of a little over 1 foot. Beneath the mound, a central pit was located. This was deeper on the western side than on the eastern, and the deeper side featured an upright pottery vessel and a smaller accessory vessel, both covered by a capstone of Purbeck limestone. This deeper part of the pit was packed with charcoal and ash. Presumably there is a possibility that this represents a secondary deposit, involving deepening of an earlier pit, but this is not clear from the report. This central area, including the pit, was covered by a cairn of flints 1 foot high and 14 feet in diameter. This site was originally recorded as part of ST 91 SE 58.. The barrow continues to be degraded by ploughing and is not recommended for scheduling.

<1> Society of Antiquaries of London, 1944, Archaeologia 90, 47-80, Piggott, S and CM. Excavation of Barrows on Crichel and Launceston Downs, Dorset. [Barrow 3] (Serial). SDO16830.

<2> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 118 (Monograph). SDO132.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1975, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume V (East), 39 (Monograph). SDO129.

'Three barrows lie on the S.E. slope of a spur overlooking the Crichel valley. Excavated in 1938 by S. and C.M. Piggot (op. cit.), they have since been levelled by ploughing … (15) Bowl (96181111), incorporating a cairn of flints over a central pit which contained a bucket urn (Arch. J., CXIX (1962), 63) and a smaller accessory vessel; both were covered by a slab of Purbeck limestone; diam. 30 ft., ht. about 1 ft. (Piggott, 3.)'

<4> English Heritage, English Heritage Alternative Action Report, SJ Lobb, MPPA, Mar-2000 (Scheduling record). SDO18279.

<5> National Monuments Record, 16-FEB-2005, NMR ST 9511/90 NMR 23822/02 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18386.

<6> Bishop, Sharon, 2009, Tarrant Launceston 15 & Environs. Aerial Photograph Survey & Analysis, Object Number: MD002384 (Unpublished document). SDO12459.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1249256 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 9 2023 1:32PM