Monument record MDO7278 - Barrows, Chaldon Herring

Group of 5 plough-damaged barrows, some associated with cremations; scatter of earlier flints, plus an undated but probably prehistoric bank and ditch

(Centred SY 783813) Tumuli (NR) (Five shown) (1)

Five bowl barrows south of Chaldon Farm buildings.

'A' - SY 78318142. A bowl barrow measuring 40ft. diameter by 6- 7ft. high circa 1959 (2 & 3) had been completely flattened by ploughing when excavated by D.A. White (5) in 1969. The truncated base of a central pit containing a large quantity of Bronze Age sherds and charcoal was found, but there was no trace of a cremation. A ring ditch, 9ft. wide by 3 1/2ft. deep had encircled the mound. Scheduled barrow No. 730a; Grinsell (Chaldon Herring No. 18).

'B' -SY 78368135. A bowl barrow ploughed almost flat circa 1939. Grinsell (Chaldon Herring No. 17). 'C'-SY 78318125. A bowl barrow measuring 36ft. diameter by 5ft. high and destroyed west of hedge crossing mound. Grinsell (Chaldon Herring No. 14).

'D'-SY 78378125. A bowl barrow measuring 55ft. diameter by 2ft. high circa 1959 (2) (3) had been ploughed almost flat when excavated by White (5) in 1969. A ring ditch, 10-12ft. wide by 4-5ft. deep had encircled the earth and turf-cored mound. Two modern pits were discovered, the largest being a robber trench in which a rim fragment of a primary Middle Bronze Age bucket urn, associated with cremated bone and charcoal, and a scatter of flint packing was recovered. Three small sherds of beaker pottery from the turf-core of the mound and a fragment of Romano-British terra sigillata from the upper levels of the ditch were also seen. Scheduled barrow No. 730 c; Grinsell (Chaldon Herring No. 15) Plan 1.

'E'-SY 78448126. A bowl barrow measuring 80ft. diameter by 1 1/2ft. high circa 1959 (2) (3) had been almost flattened when excavated by White in 1969. A 'U' - shaped ring ditch, 7 1/2ft. wide by 3 1/2ft. deep with two gaps had encircled the mound. The primary filling of the ditch contained fragments of a Middle Bronze Age "Deverell-Rimbury" globular urn and a miniature vessel. No clearly defined burial pit was seen but a shallow central pit contained cremated bone fragments, the central pit appeared the remains of three stake holes from a square "mortuary" house centred on the pit. Just south of the pit was a modern depression, possibly associated with former telecommunication aerials. Scheduled barrow No 730d and Grinsell (Chaldon Herring No 16) plan 2. The excavation of barrows 'A', 'D' and 'E' also revealed a large quantity of Mesolithic waste a flakes and some finished implements including microliths, cores and scrapers.

Late Neolithic and Bronze Age artefacts including petit tranchet derivative arrowheads and scrapers were also represented. Part of an enclosure ditch was traced as a cropmark and trial trenched in 1969. The U-shaped ditch had been 10ft. wide by 4ft. deep with a bank to the south and a possible entrance about 30ft. wide. No dating evidence was recovered but the ditch was possibly associated with the adjacent 'Celtic field system (SY 78 SE 14) and may have served to stop cattle straying southwards on to the cliffs. Plan 3. (2-6) Barrow 'C - (SY 78318125) is probably the scheduled barrow No.730b. which was partly destroyed (on the eastern side) by the tenant farmer in 1976, during the construction of a water tank. The dimensions were given as 35ft diameter by 5ft high. (7) 'A. Ploughed out. 'B. SY 78368135. Almost ploughed out. Diameter 18.0m approximately, height 0.2m. No visible ditch. 'C. SY 78318125. Severely mutilated. It now measures 11.0m north-south by 8.0m east-west; height 1.8m and is surmounted by an OS trig. pillar. No visible ditch. 'D. SY 78378125. Ploughed almost flat. Diameter approximately 20.0m, height 0.2m. No visible ditch. 'E. Ploughed out. 'B, 'C and 'D resurveyed at 1:2500 on M.S.D.

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

Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 140 (Index). SDO147.

Keen, L, and Carreck, A (eds), 1987 , Historic landscape of Weld: the Weld Estate Dorset. (Monograph). SWX8134.

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 edition OS map (Map). SWX1540.

<4> White, D A, 1969, Department of the Environment Arch Excavs. 1969 7 (D A White) (Unspecified Type). SWX2378.

<5> White, D A, 1973, The Excavation of Three Round barrows on Chaldon Down, Dorset, 1969. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 95, p34-43 Plans (Article in serial). SWX2379.

<7> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, 08-SEP-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<8> 1994, English Heritage Record Form: Barrows (Unpublished document). SWX2382.

<10> Various, Western Gazette, 3rd Feb 1978 (Serial). SWX3448.

<11> White, D A, 1973, The Excavation of Three Round barrows on Chaldon Down, Dorset, 1969. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 95 (Article in serial). SWX2379.

Record last edited

Dec 12 2024 3:30PM