Monument record MDO7269 - Bronze Age barrow, one of The Five Marys, Chaldon Herring

A group of barrows known as the Five Marys and shown as 'Five Meers' (boundary marks) on Taylor's Map of Dorset 1765. (See Concordance card for individual barrows and details). Two of the barrows were excavated under the direction of the exiled Duchess of Berri who resided at Lulworth Castle after the dethronement of Charles X of France (in 1830). In one barrow, a deep chalk-cut grave contained two adult inhumations (male and
female in a 'sitting' (contracted) position with stag antlers placed on each shoulder of both burials. In the other barrow were the remains of a similar inhumation (male) with stag antlers overlying each shoulder, also contained within a chalk- cut grave. <1> <2>

An Abercromby Type 4 Deverel Group 2 urn containing cremated bone was also found. Now in Dorchester Museum. RCHM suggest that 'A' and 'C' (see Concordance) were the two barrows excavated. <4> <6> <7>

The Five Marys (name not confirmed) - a group of barrows centred SY 79038420. 'E' No visible remains. <5>

The probable pond barrow at SY 79008421 was not found. Re-surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD. <8>

A Bronze Age bowl barrow, one of the Five Marys group, is visible as an earthwork on lidar imagery <11> to the north of Chaldon Herring. The barrow is sub-circular and measures 14 m in diameter. An external ditch is visible on its southern, eastern and western sides. This feature was digitally plotted as part of the Wild Purbeck Mapping Project.

<1> Shipp, W, and Hodson, J W (eds), 1861, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. 3rd edition. Volume 1, 346 (Monograph). SWX4496.

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

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1891 (Map). SWX1540.

(Centred SY 790842) Five Marys (Tumuli) (NR) (seven shown)

<4> Drew, C D, Colonel Drew's Index, Dorset County Museum (Index). SDO18316.

<4.1> Abercromby, J, 1912, A Study of the Bronze Age Pottery of Great Britain and Ireland (Monograph). SDO10121.

<5> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 29-AUG-52 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<6> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows (Monograph). SDO132.

<7> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 441 (Monograph). SDO150.

'(H) THE FIVE MARYS GROUP (SY 78 SE). Six barrows, including two bells, shown as 'Five Meers' (boundary points) on I. Taylor's Map of Dorset, 1765. They lie in an almost straight line along the spine of a narrow W.-E. ridge above the 300 ft. contour some 300 yds. E. of (50). All are under pasture but damaged. Only one has not been dug into. A slight and very small depression with traces of a bank or spoil around it between (51) and (52) has been claimed as a probable pond barrow (LVG 4a). Two, possibly (51) and (53), excavated before 1866 by the exiled Duchess of Berry and suite, covered deep chalk-cut graves, each containing a contracted ('sitting') male inhumation with stag antlers on each shoulder; one also held a female skeleton with antlers similarly placed and the other contained a secondary inurned cremation in the upper part of the mound (Hutchins I, 346). … (55) Bowl (?) (79088421) immediately E. of (54). Diam. 24 ft., ht. 1 ft. Large flints showing in surface.'

<8> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F2 JGB 17-JUL-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

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

<10> Historic England, Historic England Archive (Index). SDO14738.

Object Number
Object Title
Scope And Content
BB86/05033 BARROWS 1-3 FROM EAST. Donor: UNKNOWNCopyright: UNKNOWN
BB86/05034 BARROW 3 WITH 2 BEHIND ON THE LEFT. Donor: UNKNOWNCopyright: UNKNOWN
F52/66/2 BARROW A FROM SOUTH-EAST
F52/66/3 BARROW B FROM EAST
OS52/F66/2 BARROW A OF THE FIVE MARYS FROM THE SOUTH EAST.
OS52/F66/3 BARROW B OF THE FIVE MARYS FROM EA

<11> Environment Agency, 2010, Lidar DSM (Aerial Photograph). SDO13147.

<12> National Record of the Historic Environment, 454229 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jan 22 2024 12:31PM