Monument record MDO6014 - 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 48 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.

'C' ST 95900300. Bowl barrow diameter 48ft height 7 ft with traces of a ditch. <3>

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. <4>

The barrow is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs and lidar imagery <8-9> 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), 64 (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). … (49) Bowl (95900300), some 35 yds. N.E. of (48); diam. 48 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 Papworth, M, 1994, Shapwick Parish, Kingston Lacy Estate, Wessex Region, 53 (Unpublished document). SDO14228.

A Bronze Age ditched bowl barrow visible as a prominent rise being the centre barrow in a line of three lying immediately north-west of the Dorchester to Old Sarum Roman road (112,047). The burial mound is 14.5 m dia., and 2.3m high. The mounds quarry ditch is 23.5m dia., 4.5m wide and 0.2m deep and is visible on all sides of the mound except to the north-west and south-east. One of a group of twelve barrows. Side shown on Woodwards map (1773)

<7> Papworth, M, 2010, Geophysical survey report, Three Barrows, Badbury Rings (Unpublished document). SDO12388.

<8> Alexander Kieller Collection, 14-JUL-1924, ALK 7415/257 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18098.

<9> Environment Agency, 16-NOV-2021, LIDAR Environment Agency DTM (Aerial Photograph). SDO18034.

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 209543 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 24 2023 8:14AM