Monument record MDO7206 - Bowl barrow, one of the Bloxworth Down Group, Bloxworth

Bowl barrow, one of the Bloxworth Down Group. In 1970 this monument was recorded as about 45 feet in diameter, but ploughed almost flat. The site of this round barrow is visible as a low earthworks on lidar imagery and cropmarks on aerial photographs. It comprises a ring ditch 17m across traces of an internal mound, it was digitally recorded during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM.

Barrow "D"

['A' : SY 87679623; 'B': SY 87699621; 'C' : SY 87729623; 'D' : SY 87689625; 'E' : SY 87709628.] TUMULI [OE] (5)

'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

'E' is a disc-barrow with a mound, 48 feet in diameter and 2 1/2 feet high. The berm is 33 feet wide and the ditch and outer bank each 12 feet wide. Excavation revealed a primary cremation and eight bi-conical amber beads, six or seven segmented faience beads and bone tweezers beneath a collared urn. Intrusive burials of man, woman and two children at least three of which were crouched were near the top. Finds in the British Museum. (12)

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. (9)

See attached concordance of barrows on Bloxworth Down as listed by Grinsell and RCHM. See plan (authy 9) (9, 16)

('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) (14)

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).

Barrows 'A', 'B' and 'C', visible in corn.

'D'. Not visible; clear on air photographs: probably ploughed out.

'E'. Not visible, disc form clear on air photographs, with possible excavation mark in the central mound.

'F' and 'G'. Not visible, but one mound surveyed by Authority (9) and lettered 'G'.

Accepted as two barrows by Grinsell, and R.C.H.M. ('ploughed flat').

O.S. air photographs show the distinct cropmark of the ditch of one bowl (?) barrow, about 35 metres overall diameter and centred at SY 87629628. The cropmark of the mound is visible as two separate parts, the result of a bisecting trench, about 8 metres wide, set in a N.E./S.W. direction. Since the barrow was not portrayed on the O.S. 25" 1901, it seems that little was then visible and the excavation trench was probably of 19th century origin.

'H'. Not visible; clear as ditch cropmark on (k), faint on (j).

'J'. Not visible, but surveyed by Authority (9), and clear on (k).

'K'. Diameter 17.3 metres with traces of a ditch on east, 2 metres wide, 0.1 metres deep, originally surveyed by Authority (9).

'L'. Diameter 12.2 metres with traces of ditch on south-east 2 metres wide, 0.1 metres deep, originally surveyed by Authority (9).

'M'. Not visible, and no air photographs evidence.

'N'. Not visible, cropmark of possible irregularly spread mount appears on (j)

The diameters of 'k' and 'L' correspond with those depicted on 1:2500 on M.S.D.

Barrows, other than 'A', 'B' and 'C' which are clearly extant, have been retained on the M.S.D. pending future investigation. (19)


The site of this round barrow is visible as a low earthworks on lidar imagery and cropmarks on aerial photographs. It comprises a ring ditch 17m across traces of an internal mound, it was digitally recorded during the Dorset Middle Stour AIM.

<1> Hutchins, J, 1774, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. Volume 1. 1st edition, 102 4 (Monograph). SWX2949.

<2> Proceedings of the Archaeological Institute, 93 1849 (Serial). SDO19703.

<3> Society of Antiquaries of London, 1871, Archaeologia 43, 495 (Serial). SDO17248.

<4> Warne, C, 1888, Pamphlets and notices, 14 (Monograph). SDO17114.

<5> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1902 (Map). SWX1540.

<6> Abercromby, J, 1912, A Study of the Bronze Age Pottery of Great Britain and Ireland, 65 2 (Monograph). SDO10121.

<7> Royal Air Force, 05-MAR-1945, RAF/106G/LA/163 RP 4084 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19896.

<8> Royal Air Force, 11-APR-1947, RAF/CPE/UK/1974 3344-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19635.

<9> Grinsell, L V, 1935-54, Dorset Barrows 1935-54 Manuscript (Unpublished document). SWX1556.

<10> Society of Antiquaries of London, 1935, Archaeologia 85, 217 (Serial). SDO19666.

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

<12> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 94 (Monograph). SDO132.

<13> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

<14> Clay, Dr, Annotated Record Map 6" (Dorset County Museum), 1963 (Map). SDO18027.

<15> National Monuments Record, 28-MAR-1968, NMR 68/040-47 (Aerial Photograph). SDO18043.

<16> 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). … (35) Bowl (?) (87699625) 25 yds. N.E. of (32). Diam. about 45 ft., but ploughed almost flat.’

<17> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Records, SY 89 NE 22d (Index). SDO131.

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

<19> Attrill, N J, Field Investigators Comments NJA, 1981-05-27 (Unpublished document). SDO14743.

<20> DCMS, 1998, Scheduled Monument Notification 1998 (Scheduling record). SWX1137.

<21> Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society of East Anglia (Article in serial). SDO20195.

<22> National Monuments Record, 06-JUN-2007, NMR 24629/48 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19895.

<23> National Monuments Record, 03-OCT-2011, NMR 27312/01 (Aerial Photograph). SDO19894.

<24> Environment Agency, 16-NOV-2021, LIDAR Environment Agency DTM (Aerial Photograph). SDO18034.

<25> National Record of the Historic Environment (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 20 2025 2:46PM