Monument record MDO6013 - Bowl barrow, one of the Badbury Rings Group, Shapwick

A Bronze Age bowl barrow. In 1975 the RCHME recorded this monument as having a diameter of approximately 50 feet, with a mound standing 7 feet high and traces of a surrounding ditch. The barrow is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs and lidar imagery and was digitially plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour AI&M. The record for this monument has been enhanced with support from Wessex Water.

Three round barrows W of Badbury Rings and flanking the NW side of the Roman Road (RR 4c) were once thought to be Roman <1> but this has now been disproved.

Consequent to excavation in July 1960 it was concluded that although no direct evidence for the date of the bank and ditch enclosing Barrow 'A' was obtained "some weight must attach to the flake of modern glass found beneath the bank. In fact it is reasonable to suggest that it (bank and ditch) is an 18th century 'improvement' which planted trees at 'Badbury Clump' enclosing them with a small bank and ditch". The barrow, and its two neighbours, are probably Bronze Age. <3>

'B' ST 95880298. Bowl barrow diameter 50ft height 7ft with traces of a ditch. <4>

The barrow is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs and lidar imagery <7-8> and was digitially plotted during the Dorset Middle Stour AI&M. It comprises an internal mound 12m across with external ring ditch.

<1> Crawford, O G S and Keiller, A, 1928, Wessex from the Air, 58-61 Plan (Monograph). SDO12591.

<2> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 130 (Monograph). SDO132.

<3> Society of Antiquaries of London, 1965, The Antiquaries Journal 45, 41-47 (Serial). SDO16726.

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1975, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume V (East), 63 (Monograph). SDO129.

'Badbury Rings Group comprises nine barrows (47–55), immediately W. and S.W. of Badbury Rings (Plate 62); they lie on undulating downland between 250 ft. and 275 ft. above O.D. It was once thought that (45–47) were Roman (Wessex from the Air, 58–61, Pl. IV), but this has now been disproved (Ant. J., XLV (1965), 41–7). … (48) Bowl (95880298), some 50 yds. N.E. of (47); diam. 50 ft., ht. 7 ft., with traces of a ditch.'

<5> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 1:10,000 scale map, 1978 (Map). SDO17396.

(ST 958029) Tumuli (NR)

<6> Papworth, M, 2010, Geophysical survey report, Three Barrows, Badbury Rings (Unpublished document). SDO12388.

<7> Alexander Kieller Collection, 14-JUL-1924, ALK 7415/257 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18098.

<8> Environment Agency, 16-NOV-2021, LIDAR Environment Agency DTM (Aerial Photograph). SDO18034.

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 209543 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 24 2023 8:16AM