Monument record MDO7200 - Bowl barrow in Higher Belt Coppice, one of the Bloxworth Down Group, Bloxworth

Round barrow cemetery containing 11 individual barrows, situated on the upper part of Bloxworth Down. The two southern barrows are aligned east-west and occupy the highest position. The barrows each have a mound composed of earth and chalk with maximum dimensions between 16-17 metres in diameter and 0.5-0.75 metres in height. The mounds are each surrounded by infilled ditches which survive as buried features. To the north are a cluster of five bowl barrows. These each have a mound with maximum dimensions of between 10-18 metres in diameter and 0.2-0.3 metres in height. These also have infilled quarry ditches. Further to the north are a group of four barrows aligned east-west along a natural terrace. The eastern example is a disc barrow which has a central mound 25 metres in diameter which is surrounded by a berm, quarry ditch and outer bank which produce an overall diameter of 47 metres. The barrow has been reduced by ploughing, but the central mound remains visible as a chalky spread 25 metres in diameter and approximately 0.3 metres high. The ditch has become infilled but survives as a buried feature, the outer bank is still visible as a chalky spread about 1 metre wide. This barrow was partly excavated in 1854 and a primary cremation burial was recovered with a collared urn, along with a pair of bone tweezers and a variety of amber and faience beads. The three bowl barrows to the west each have a mound of between 12-15 metres in diameter and between 0.25-0.3 metres in height. Some Late Bronze Age pottery was recovered from the mound of the central barrow. Scheduled.

'G' : SY 8765967; 'H' : SY 87679626; 'J' : SY 87709624; 'K' : SY 87669619 'L' : SY 87709620; 'M' : SY 87729626; 'F' : SY 87639628.

'A' - 'D', 'H' - 'M', bowl barrows with diameters ranging from 10-23 paces and heights from 6 inches to 6 feet. LBA sherds were found on 'H' by L.V.Grinsell in 1954. 'G' and 'F' are probable bowl barrows. (2)

Sitings as above except 'H' : SY 87679628; 'K' : SY 87669620; 'L' : SY 87709619; 'G' : SY 87649628; 'F' : SY 87639629. A group of twelve barrows comprising eight definite bowl barrows - 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'H', 'J', 'K', and 'L'; three probable bowl barrows - 'F', 'G' and 'M'; a disc-barrow - 'E'. The group is visible on air-photographs. 'F', 'H' and 'M' are ploughed out; the bank and ditch of 'E' is only partly visible. A 25" survey has been made. (7)

Barrow "K" - See attached concordance of barrows on Bloxworth Down as listed by Grinsell and RCHM. See plan (authy 4) (4-5)

Save for 'K' and 'L', the majority of this group is currently inaccessible. It is notable that air photographs (J) and (K) show a field system SY 89 NE 18 (now ploughed out) where some field boundaries terminated on barrows (see sketch plan).

'K'. Diameter 17.3 metres with traces of a ditch on east, 2 metres wide, 0.1 metres deep, originally surveyed by Authority (3).

The diameters of 'K' and 'L' correspond with those depicted on 1:2500 on MSD. Barrows, other than 'A', 'B' and 'C' which are clearly extant, have been retained on the MSD pending future investigation. (7)

The site of this round barrow is visible as a low earthworks on lidar imagery and cropmarks on aerial photographs (8-9). It was digitally recorded during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM.

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

['A' : SY 87679623; 'B': SY 87699621; 'C' : SY 87729623; 'D' : SY 87689625; 'E' : SY 87709628.] TUMULI [OE]

<2> Grinsell, L V, 1935-54, Dorset Barrows 1935-54 Manuscript (Unpublished document). SWX1556.

<2.1> Hutchins, J, 1774, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. Volume 1. 1st edition, 184 (Monograph). SWX2949.

<2.2> Warne, C, 1866, The Celtic Tumuli of Dorset (1866), No 14 (Monograph). SWX8166.

<2.3> Society of Antiquaries of London, 1871, Archaeologia 43, 495 43(2) (Serial). SDO17248.

<2.4> Society of Antiquaries of London, 1935, Archaeologia 85, 217 (Serial). SDO19666.

<2.5> Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia, 102 4 (Article in serial). SDO20195.

<2.6> Abercromby, J, 1912, A Study of the Bronze Age Pottery of Great Britain and Ireland, 65 2 (Monograph). SDO10121.

<2.7> Clay, Dr, Annotated Record Map 6" (Dorset County Museum), Plate 6" (Map). SDO18027.

<2.8> Proceedings of the Archaeological Institute, 93 1849 (Serial). SDO19703.

<3> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, 1954-11-09 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<4> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 94 (Monograph). SDO132.

<5> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 440 (Monograph). SDO150.

‘Bloxworth Down Group (SY 89 NE). Fifteen barrows, including one disc or bell-disc, and comprising all the barrows in the parish, lie on a N. slope at the W. end of a chalk ridge between 170 ft. and 236 ft. above O.D.; (29) is on the highest point in the parish, and ten others cluster N. and E. of it. … Two have been destroyed and all but (29) and (30) are badly damaged by ploughing, as are adjacent 'Celtic' fields (Group 33). … (29) Bowl (87679619) in Higher Belt Coppice. Marked by trig. point at 236 ft. Diam. 48 ft., ht. 5 ft.’

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

('A': SY 87679623; 'B': SY 87699621; 'C': SY 87729623; 'D': SY 87689625; 'E'; SY 87709628; 'G': SY 87659628; 'J': SY 87709623; 'K': SY 87669619; 'L': SY 87699619) Tumuli (NR)

<7> Attrill, N J, Field Investigators Comments NJA, 27/05/1981 (Unpublished document). SDO14743.

<8> National Monuments Record, 06-JUN-2007, NMR 24629/48 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19895.

<9> Environment Agency, 16-NOV-2021, LIDAR Environment Agency DTM (Aerial Photograph). SDO18034.

<10> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 3344-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19635.

<11> Ordnance Survey, 18-APR-1980, OS 80/021 218-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19641.

<12> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<13> National Record of the Historic Environment (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 20 2025 2:45PM