Monument record MDO6192 - Oval Barrow on Pistle Down, Verwood

The earthwork remains of a Bronze Age oval barrow on the parish boundary with Alderholt. In 1975 this monument was described as being disturbed by digging, aligned north west-south east and around 65 feet long, 54 feet wide, with a mound about 5 1/2 feet high. It has a mound composed of sand, turf, and earth and is surrounded by an infilled quarry ditch surviving as a buried feature. It was excavated by Dr Smart in 1828, when four barbed and tanged arrowheads were recovered. It was digitally plotted during the Dorset Stour NMP.

Seven barrows form a scatter on Boveridge Heath in the extreme N. of the parish. With the exception of Stephen's Castle (58) they all lie in a plantation on a slight rise in the heath. One described as an oval barrow and probably Monument (64) was excavated in 1828 and yielded four leaf-shaped flint arrowheads, but no trace of a burial (C.T.D., Pt. 2, No. 19 and p. 27; Arch., XLIII (1880), 414).
(59) Bowl (09271038), diam. 22 ft., ht. 2 ft.
(60) Bowl (09301038), diam. 20 ft., ht. 2 ft.
(61) Bowl (09341038), diam. 22 ft., ht. 2 ft.
(62) Bowl (09701036), diam. 34 ft., ht. 3 ft.
(63) Bowl (09741039), diam. 35 ft., ht. 3 ft.
(64) Oval Barrow (09741054), on the parish boundary with Alderholt, has been disturbed by digging. The mound, aligned N.W.-S.E., is 65 ft. long, 54 ft. wide and 5 1/2 ft. high.
(For Stephen's Castle see SU 00 NE 2). <2>

Oval barrow. A slight barrow mound was identified on aerial photographs and digitally plotted during the Dorset Stour NMP <6>.

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

(Centred at SU 09551043) Tumuli (NR) Tumulus (NR) (twice)

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1975, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume V (East), 74 (Monograph). SDO129.

'(64) Oval Barrow (09741054), on the parish boundary with Alderholt, has been disturbed by digging. The mound, aligned N.W.-S.E., is 65 ft. long, 54 ft. wide and 5½ ft. high.'

<2.1> Society of Antiquaries of London, 1871, Archaeologia 43, 414 (Serial). SDO17248.

<3> DCMS, 1999, Scheduled Monument Notification 1999, 04-Feb-99 (Scheduling record). SDO17351.

<4> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 1094265 (Index). SDO14738.

Object Title: SU 01 SE 25, 26 and 30 (1962). Scope & Content: Antiquity Model: Surveyed

<5> GetMapping, 2014, Digital vertical aerial photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDO14101.

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 213703 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jul 29 2024 3:35PM