Monument record MDO6327 - Bowl barrow, one of the Salisbury Plantation Group, Wimborne St Giles

A round barrow of a type known as a bowl barrow, one of a dispersed group of 9 bowl barrows within and at the southern end of Salisbury Plantation, which was apparently planted with firs circa 1930. The monument is in woodland. It lies on the boundary between the two parishes. In 1975 this monument was reported as being about 90 feet in diameter with a mound about 12 feet high, and with a ditch which survived clearly as an earthwork. Sherds, apparently of a barrel urn (presumably Deverel-Rimbury) have been found on the surface of the mound.

(Centred SU 02721623) Tumuli (NR). <2>

Salisbury Plantation Group (75-82) consists of nine barrows, one of them in Pentridge (24); they lie among fir trees at the S.E end of a low spur.
(79) Bowl (02641621), on the boundary with Pentridge; diam. 90 ft., ht. 12 ft. with a substantial encircling ditch. Sherds, apparently of a barrel urn, found on the surface of the mound suggest the presence of a secondary burial (O.S. Records).

A rapid examination of air photography <4.1> suggests the presence of two additional possible round barrow sites, of Prehistoric or Roman date, visible as ring ditch cropmarks at SU 0270 1625 and SU 0272 1621. Also shown is barrow E which has a square ditch within its ring ditch, apparently enclosing a central pit. <4>

This record now deals solely with RCHME’s Wimborne St Giles 79 (Grinsell's Pentridge 10). The other barrows and ring ditches have now been recorded separately (see SU 01 NW 220-229). Note that source <4> refers to a square ditch and central pit within "Barrow E". Unfortunately, it is not clear which of the above is Barrow E. Assuming the same sequence as above is being followed, it may well be Wimborne St Giles that is being referred to. <1, 3, 4>

[Note: The above paragraph doesn’t clarify which of the Wimborne St Giles barrows is being referred to in the last sentence. Barrow MDO6330 (RCHME’s Wimborne St Giles 82) was recorded as SU 01 NW 57E before getting its own unique NMR of SU 01 NW 226 so it may be referring to this barrow as the ‘E’ in question. However; MDO6326 (RCHME’s Wimborne St Giles 78) was referred to as DO359e so equally this may be the ‘E’ in question.]

<1> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 123 (Monograph). SDO132.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1975, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume V (East), 102 (Monograph). SDO129.

'(79) Bowl (02641621), on the boundary with Pentridge; diam. 90 ft., ht. 12 ft. with a substantial encircling ditch. Sherds, apparently of a barrel urn, found on the surface of the mound suggest the presence of a secondary burial (O.S. Records).'

<4> Miller, Andrew, RCHME/EH/HE Aerial Photographers comment AM, 11-FEB-1993/RCHME: AP Primary Recording Project (Verbal communication). SDO17356.

<4.1> National Monuments Record, NMR 4595: 13-15; NMR 4593: 01-2, 04 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18714.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 213564 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 28 2022 10:26AM