Monument record MDO7407 - Neolithic long barrow, Nine Barrows Down, Corfe Castle

A Neolithic long barrow situated on a chalk ridge on Nine Barrows Down, Corfe Castle. In 1970 this monument was recorded as around 112 feet long, 40 feet wide and 6 feet high at the southern end, dipping to 3 feet high at the northern end. Slight depressions along three sides may be traces of ditches. The long barrow is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs and is located adjacent to a group of seventeen Bronze Age round barrows (MDO7427-7442).

SY 99588151. Long Barrow on Ailwood Down, adjacent to the round barrow group (see SY 98 SE 5) lies along the contour of the chalk ridge and can only be seen in silhouette from the steep south slope. The barrow, orientated on a bearing of 97o, is about 112ft long and approx 40ft wide and 3ft high from the north and 6ft from the south. The sides are apparently parallel but are disturbed by old excavations. Slight depressions to the east, south and west, probably mark the original quarry ditches; a small round barrow seems to impinge on the ditch. <2>

SY 99588151. A long, low eastern mound, now gorse-covered lies on an almost NW-SE axis along a slight slope. It measures 35.8m in length, up to 14.2m wide, 0.8m high on the north side and about 2.0m high on the downhill, south, side.

A narrow shallow ditch evident around the eastern part of the mound cannot be traced around the western part. Two circular pits, 0.8m and 0.5m deep respectively, lie at the foot of the NW slope of the mound. Published 1:2500 survey revised. <5>

The remains of a Neolithic long barrow on Ailwood Down. The barrow mound is composed of earth, flint and chalk and is 32 metres long, 12 metres wide and about 0.5 metres high. At the eastern end of the mound is an irregular depression from which material is likely to have been quarried for its construction. The barrow lies close to a Bronze Age round barrow cemetery (SY 98 SE 5). Scheduled. <7>


A Neolithic long barrow, approximately 26m x 8.5m, is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs of Nine Barrows Down, Corfe Castle (2-3). It is located adjacent to a group of seventeen Bronze Age round barrows (MDO7427-7442). This feature was digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck mapping project.

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

(SY 99588151) Long Barrow (NR)

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 432 (Monograph). SDO150.

‘(181) LONG BARROW (SY 98 SE; 99588151; Fig. p. 444), is sited about 600 ft. above O.D. on Ailwood Down, adjacent to the round barrows of Group (L). It lies along the contour of the S. shoulder of the chalk ridge of the Purbeck Hills and is only seen in silhouette from the steep slope to the S.
On a bearing of 97°, it is about 112 ft. long, approximately 40 ft. wide, and about 3 ft. high from the N. and 6 ft. from the S. The sides are apparently parallel but are disturbed by old excavations. Slight depressions to E., S. and W. probably mark the original quarry ditches; a small round barrow, Corfe Castle (217), immediately S.E., seems to impinge on the ditch.’

<4> Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 8 (Index). SDO147.

‘Long Barrow. Mound 31.1m x 12.2m, Ht 0.9-1.8m. Ditch width 3.0m and 0.3m deep. Situated on heathland, gorse and grass covered. Barrow uneven on top but ditch clear. 1/2/B.’

<5> Fletcher, Martin, Field investigator's comments MJF, F1 MJF 17-OCT-86 (Unpublished document). SDO17630.

<6> Papworth, M, 1994, Eastington, Acton, Westwood, Wilkswood, New Barn, Corfe Castle Estate, Wessex Region, 40 (Unpublished document). SWX1388.

A neolithic earthen long barrow. This type of site was used 4000 - 6000 years ago as a communal place of burial. Bodies were allowed to decay before being interred within the barrow and the bones were then arranged within the tomb. Excavations of similar sites have uncovered groups of skulls and long bones collected together within the mortuary house under the earthen mound.
This barrow was aligned approximately east-west and survives as a clear earthwork 33m long, 12m wide and 1.8m hign. The ditch is 5m wide and 0.3m deep and visible on the east, south andsouth-west sides of the mound. The ditch is unclear on the north and disturbed by a quarry on the north-west. A round barrow 112,166 has been built on the east edge of the long barrow ditch.
This is the only known long barrow on the Kingston Lacy and Corfe Castle Estates. Well preserved examples of long barrows are rare. It is probable that 112,149 was the original burial mound within the Nine Barrow Down Group and that the Bronze Age round barrow builders treated this as an ancient and sacred burial site and arranged their monuments arround it. The site is on a south facing slope near the crest of the chalk ridge. All historic maps, including the earliest, Treswell 1585, show this land as sheep pasture. It appears never to have been ploughed.

<7> English Heritage, Scheduling Amendment, 11-FEB-2002 (Scheduling record). SDO17245.

<8> Royal Air Force, 04-NOV-1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1821 2402-03 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13669.

<9> Pan Government Agreement, 2008, PGA (Aerial Photograph). SDO13137.

<10> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 456797 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 25 2024 4:04PM