Monument record MDO7414 - Bronze Age bowl barrow, Corfe Common, Corfe Castle

A circular mound is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs of Corfe Common, Corfe Castle. It is considered likely to be the remains of a Bronze Age round barrow. It is one on a group of several round barrows located dispersed across the common (MDO7412-19 & MDO7540).

'C'-(188)-SY 95918090. Bowl barrow, possibly ditched 38ft diameter and 2ft high. <1> <4>

A plain tripalite urn in the British Museum collection has been identified as coming from one of these barrows or from the adjacent barrow groups. (SY 98 SE 17 or SY 98 SE 47) Brit Mus Acc. No. 1982.9-1.238. <2>

SY 962809. Group of round barrows on Corfe Common. Scheduled. <6>

Four well preserved bowl barrows: … SY95928090 13m in diameter and 0.6m high; little evidence of disturbance. There are slight traces of a ditch. <8>

A circular mound, approximately 11.8m in diameter, is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs of Corfe Common, Corfe Castle<9-10>. It is considered likely to be the remains of a Bronze Age round barrow. It is one on a group of several round barrows located dispersed across the common (MDO7412-19 & MDO7540). This feature was digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck mapping project.

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1957, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1956, 76 (Serial). SDO56.

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1960, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1959, 118 (Serial). SDO59.

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

(Centred SY 959809) Tumuli (NR)

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 443 (Monograph). SDO150.

‘Corfe Common Group (SY 98 SE; Fig. p. 97). Eight barrows straggle along the spine of a ridge about 150 ft. above O.D. All but (191) are bracken-covered. LVG 10a-c, between (192) and (193), are unidentifiable. … ¶(188) Bowl, possibly ditched (95918090), 100 yds. S.S.E. of (187). Diam. 38 ft., ht. 2 ft.’

<5> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<6> Department of the Environment, 1978, Department of the Environment (IAM) Ancient Monuments of England (Vol 2) (Monograph). SWX1687.

<7> Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 34 (Index). SDO147.

‘Bowl barrow, Diam. 11.6m and Ht.0.6m. Situated on heathland a low rise grass covered with gorse and bracken. An E-W track passes immediately S. of the mound. Land used as rough grazing for horses and cattle. OS SY98SE16. 7/7/B.’

<8> Fletcher, Martin, Field investigator's comments MJF, Field Investigation 20-DEC-2003 (Unpublished document). SDO17630.

<9> Royal Air Force, 18-FEB-1970, RAF 58/0254 0022 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13680.

<10> Ordnance Survey, 19-APR-1982, OS 82047 427-428 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13682.

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 456801 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 16 2023 12:12PM