Monument record MDO6779 - Bell barrow, Barrow Hill Group, Poole

Bell barrow, about 10m diameter and one metre high, with traces of a ditch, one of s group of six barrows on Barrow Hill. It may be one of the barrows excavated by J H Austen in 1847, which contained an unaccompanied cremation beneath a layer of flints. The feature is visible on 1940s aerial photographs and was digitally plotted from these sources by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

The feature is visible on 1940's aerial photographs where it comprises a central mound approximately 8m in diameter, with a possible 1m wide outer ditch; indicated by a darker depression surrounding the central mound. The feature was digitally plotted from 1940's aerial photographs <3> by the Dorset Stour NMP project.

One of a group of round barrows on Barrow Hill. Barrow 'B' - SY 99609746; A bowl barrow, 8 paces in diameter and 2 feet high. Two of the three barrows 'A' (HOB uid 457153- SY 99 NE 12), Barrow 'B' or Barrow 'C' (HOB uid 1457307 - SY 99 NE 58) were opened in 1847 by J H Austen; both contained a possible primary cremation; at least one interment being east of centre. <2>

Barrow 'B' - A bowl barrow, 10 metres in diameter and 1 metre high with faint traces of a ditch. This heather covered mound has a slight depression in the top. <4>

SY 99609746 ; Poole 2, a bowl barrow 8 paces in diameter and 2 feet high. <5>

Barrow 'B' - (397) SY 99609746. A bell barrow, 20 feet diameter and 3 feet high with berm about 6 feet wide and ditch about 7 feet wide. Excavation information is the same as Authy 2. <6>

Barrow 'B'. SY 99609747. Bowl barrow, diameter 7.5 metres, height 0.9 metres. No visible evidence of a ditch. The barrow is on open heathland and covered with gorse. Re-surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD. <7>

A bell barrow on Barrow Hill , part of a barrow cemetery of four bell barrows and two bowl barrows situated 150 metres to the southwest of Brookvale Farm. The barrow is one of four barrows aligned southwest-northeast, and survives as an earthwork. <8>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1902 (Map). SWX1540.

Centred SY 996975) Tumuli (NR)

<2> Grinsell, L V, Dorset Barrows (Unpublished MSs) (Unpublished document). SWX2678.

<3> Royal Air Force, 12-DEC-46, RAF/CPE/UK/1893 RP 3198-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDO16170.

<4> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 17-NOV-1955 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<5> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 129 (Monograph). SDO132.

<6> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 449 (Monograph). SDO150.

'BARROW HILL GROUP (SY 99 SE). Six barrows, including four bells, on flat-topped ridge above 200 ft. contour. (396-9) form a short S.W.-N.E. alignment. All but (399) have probably been excavated. Three barrows on 'Merley Heath' were excavated by Austen in 1847: two of (396-8) contained unaccompanied cremations beneath a layer of flints; and either (400) or (401) contained a primary cremation in an upright Middle or Late Bronze Age urn, and at least five intrusive inhumations on top of mound.
(397) Bell (99609746). 25 yds. N.E. of (396) Diam. 20 ft., ht. 3 ft., with berm about 6 ft. wide and ditch about 7½ ft. wide.'

<7> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F2 JGB 24-NOV-1980 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<8> Historic England, Scheduled Monument Notification, 24-Jul-98 (Scheduling record). SDO17468.

<9> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1457306 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 11 2022 11:20AM