Monument record MDO6338 - Bowl barrow on Bottlebush Down, Wimborne St Giles

A round barrow of a type known as a bowl barrow. In 1975 this monument was reported as being about eighteen metres in diameter and over one metre high. The monument was dug into by the antiquarian William Cunnington, who found a primary cremation within.

(Centred SU 01871650) Tumuli (NR). <2>

Four barrows (90-93) lie on the N.E. slope of the ridge of Bottlebush Down. Three of them were dug into by William Cunnington (Hoare, Ancient Wiltshire I, 243). <4>

(90) Bowl (01901642), with a clearly defined ditch, yielded a primary cremation; diam. 58 ft., ht. 4 ft. <3>

This record now deals solely with bowl barrow Wimborne St Giles 90 (Grinsell's Wimborne St Giles 33). The other three have now been recorded separately (see SU 01 NW 217-9 respectively). As noted above, the barrow was one of three dug into by William Cunnington in the early 19th century. His (brief) account is quoted by Colt Hoare, and mainly concerns the finds from the bell barrow SU 01 NW 217. This bowl barrow and the other bowl barrow SU 01 NW 218 are simply referred to as follows: "The other two barrows produced simple interments of burned bones". Both RCHME and Grinsell interpret this as primary cremations in each barrow, although Cunnington appears to offer no information to confirm that they were primary interments. <1, 3-4>

<1> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 145 (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.

‘Four barrows (90–93) lie on the N.E. slope of the ridge of Bottlebush Down. Three of them were dug into by William Cunnington (Hoare, Ancient Wiltshire I, 243). (90) Bowl (01901642), with a clearly defined ditch, yielded a primary cremation; diam. 58 ft., ht. 4 ft.’

<4> Colt Hoare, Sir Richard, 1975, The ancient history of Wiltshire, 243 (Monograph). SDO18077.

<5> National Record of the Historic Environment, 213563 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 28 2022 11:26AM