Monument record MDO7318 - Icen Barrow, Creech Heath, Church Knowle

A Bronze Age round barrow known as Icen Barrow on Creech Heath, formerly known as Killwood Heath. The barrow mound is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs taken in 1970 by the RAF. In 1970 this monument was reported as 56 feet in diameter with a mound about 5 feet high.

Icen Barrow lies on Creech Heath, Church Knowle. The barrow mound (17m across) is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs (3). It was digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck Mapping Project.

Icen barrow, very large truncated bowl barrow. <5>

A small fragment of a Middle Bronze Age urn, seen in 1940 in the offices of Pike's clay works at Furzebrook (SY 932840)
probably came from the Icen barrow. <4>

Icen barrow, a damaged bowl barrow, probably ditched, on an almost level site on Creech Heath, is 56 feet in diameter by 5 feet high. A Bronze Age urn was found in it. <7>

SY 92208383. Church Knowle 1. Icen Barrow listed, details as above. <6> <8>

This extensively mutilated bowl barrow lies on the edge of a conifer plantation and is now generally inaccessible because
of dense vegetation cover. A well-worn path follows much of the circumference of the mound through the undergrowth so the suggestion <7> that the barrow was ditched could not be verified under present conditions.
Published 1:2500 survey accepted.

A prominent gorse-covered rise approximately 15.0m to the east of the barrow and separated by a wide cutting may prove to be a second barrow but again the mound was inaccessible because of vegetation cover. <10>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1925 (Map). SWX1540.

(SY 92188384) Icen Barrow (NR)

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 Grinsell, L V, Dorset Barrows (Unpublished MSs) (Unpublished document).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

<3> Royal Air Force, 18-FEB-1970, RAF 58/0254 0061-2 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13470.

<4> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1949, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1948, 55 (Serial). SDO48.

‘MIDDLE BRONZE AGE URN FROM FURZEBROOK, CHURCH KNOWLE. In 1940 I saw a small fragment of a M.B.A. urn in the offices of Messrs. Pike Bros’ Clay Works at Furzebrook. It came from one of the local barrows, probably from the Icen barrow about 500 yds. to the north (SY922838). The surface of the urn was much perished, but it was possible to make out a chevron ornament on the collar. This had probably been executed in the usual cord technique. The flat rim and the weak outline of collar and neck suggest that it is a fairly late example of the overhanging rim urn (fig. 3).’

<5> Colquhoun, F D, Field Investigators Comments FDC, F1 FDC 25-OCT-51 (Unpublished document). SWX2609.

<6> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 101 (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 (Monograph). SDO150.

‘(45) Icen Barrow, ditched (?) bowl (SY 98 SW; 92188385) on almost level site on Creech Heath. Diam. 56 ft., ht. 5 ft. Damaged. Bronze Age urn found in it (Dorset Procs. LXX (1948), 55). (I) Creech Heath Group (SY 98 SW). Four barrows in a short straight W.-E. line above S. slope from slight ridge. Probably one of these, or perhaps (45), was built of turf and contained a probably primary cremation with a small, ruby-coloured object, possibly amber (LVG 5a; Warne, C.T.D., cpf, no. 43).’

<8> Grinsell, L V, 1982, Dorset Barrows Supplement, 37 (Monograph). SWX1703.

<9> Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 228 (Index). SDO147.

‘Situated on heathland, covered in heather. The mound is uneven being infested by rabbits. No ditch visible. Visible as a low rise. 1/3/C.’

<10> Fletcher, Martin, Field investigator's comments MJF, F2 MJF 30-APR-86 (Unpublished document). SDO17630.

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 457034 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 10 2024 3:08PM