Monument record MDO6384 - Round barrow in St Giles's Park, Wimborne St Giles

A Bronze Age barrow in St Giles's Park is visible as a cropmark on a 2014 aerial photograph. The barrow is visible as two sections of ring ditch dissected by a post medieval track or road. The feature was digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

Fragment of Bronze Age Urn found 1840 in low barrow in St. Giles's Park. <2>

[SU 04151116] In a barrow in the line of the road to the Ringwood Lodge - approx. Lat. 50o 54' 00". Long. 01o 56' 30"- a fragment of an urn with three rows of ? twisted cord ornament was found. <1>

[ ] Here is a distinct bump on the road 0.5m high. Under high crops to the north and high grass to the south it is impossible under present conditions to say if this is a barrow. It is on the edge of a natural land fall to the S E which may result in giving the impression of a circular mound with an approximate diameter of 45.0m. AP's were not consulted. <3>

According to Warne, "In the year 1840, whilst making the road to Ringwood Lodge in St Giles's Park, a low tumulus was cut through, and the fragment of an urn was preserved, with a triple row of ornamentation..." suggested by Grinsell, on the basis of Warne's description, to be twisted cord decoration. Warne also noted the discovery of an iron knife or blade, which he presumed to have no connection with the "original deposit". Although Warne's siting is inevitably rather vague, Ordnance Survey field investigation noted at SU 04151116 "a distinct bump on the road 0.5m high. Under high crops to the north and high grass to the south it is impossible under present conditions to say if this is a barrow. It is on the edge of a natural land fall to the south east, which may result in giving the impression of a circular mound with an approximate diameter of 45.0 metres." Curiously, Grinsell subsequently paraphrased this as "swelling beneath road suggests site of large round barrow" (Grinsell's Wimborne St Giles 75b). <1.1, 2.1, 4>

A Bronze Age barrow is visible as a cropmark on a 2014 aerial photograph. <6>

The barrow is visible as two sections of ring ditch 27.3m across and dissected by a southeast to northwest aligned post medieval track or road.

The feature was digitally plotted by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1986, Dorset Barrow Survey, Papworth, MDJ TWA 19 February 1986 (Index). SDO134.

‘A faint rise at this location is still visible under the tarmac road aligned NW from the lodge. Fields either side of the road appear to be regularly ploughed and were newly ploughed when visited. No soil marks indicative of a barrow were visible in these fields.’

<1> Grinsell, L V, 1934-55, Dorset Barrows, 1940. Bowl Barrows p.18 (Unpublished document). SWX4483.

<1.1> Warne, C, 1866, The Celtic Tumuli of Dorset (1866), Pt 2, Tumulus 20 (Monograph). SWX8166.

<2> Calkin, J B, 1951, Annotated Record Map Corr. 6 (J B Calkin 7 5 51) (Map). SWX3426.

<2.1> Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments, Warne's Celtic Tumuli ii. 1b. D.W.Parry 8.5.51 (Unpublished document). SWX999.

<3> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 14-MAY-54 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

<4> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 146 (Monograph). SDO132.

<5> Grinsell, L V, 1982, Dorset Barrows Supplement, 54 (Monograph). SWX1703.

<6> GetMapping, 2014, Digital vertical aerial photographs (Aerial Photograph). SDO14101.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 213798 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jul 26 2024 2:50PM