Monument record MDO7996 - Round Barrow in the Ballard Down Group, Ballard Down, Swanage

A Bronze Age bowl barrow on Ballard Down, one of a group of barrows in this area. It is about 7.5 m in diameter and 0.3 m high. It had been disturbed by 1940s activity.

'C' - SZ 02798125. No visible traces of this barrow; the site having apparently been built upon during the 1939-45 war. (see plan and profile). <2>

Ballard Down Group of round barrows lie close together on the spine of the steep:sided chalk ridge. The area, built on the disturbed circa 1940, and now almost levelled by ploughing, contains numerous slight rises similarly marked by concentrations of stone rubble, making identification of barrows recorded here very difficult. The reasonably certain barrows are: 'C'-(87)-SZ 02798125. Bowl (?)barrow, (no diameter given) 1ft high. (Grinsell's Studland No 10 recorded as 11 paces diam x 1 1/2ft high). <4-5>

Until recently, when it came to the National Trust, Ballard Down was regularly ploughed but it is now reverting to downland. Since the RCHM reported on this barrow group in 1970 (3) RCHM 84 (SZ 02728124) and RCHM 85 (SZ 02738123) have been ploughed out and only the faintest traces remain. RCHM 87 remains as described but is doubtfully a barrow. RCHM 86 (SZ 02748125) has a boundary stone on top, on the line of the fence seperating NTL from arable to the N, and only the N side is now surveyable. On grassland these 'features' are in bad condition, 160m OD. Surveyed at 1:2500. <5>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Various, Ordnance Survey Map 6in. Prov. Ed (Map). SWX2257.

(Centred SZ 025812) Tumuli (NR) (three shown)

<2> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 02-SEP-52 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

<3> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 132-3 (Monograph). SDO132.

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 453 (Monograph). SDO150.

(W) BALLARD DOWN GROUP (SZ 08 SW). Five small bowls close together within 500 ft. ring contour on spine of steep-sided chalk ridge. The area, built on and disturbed in the 1940s and now almost levelled by ploughing, contians numerous slight rises similarly marked by concentrations of stone rubble, making identification of barrows recorded here very difficult. (86-8) are corssed by the parish boundary with Studland. The following are reasonably certain:
(87) Bowl (?) (02798125). 25 yds. E. of (86). Ht. 1 ft.

<5> Mead, Richard, Field Investigators Comments RPM, F2 RPM 1981-08-12 (Unpublished document). SWX2301.

<6> Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 303 (Index). SDO147.

Probable bowl barrow. Mound 7.5 m and ht. 0.3 m. Situated on the N. edge of rough grassland. A faint swelling covered by grass and gorse. Barrows are difficult to discern due to disturbance during the 1940s.
7/7/D TWA/IOP/1985

<7> Papworth, M, 1992, Whitecliff Farm, Purbeck, Dorset, Wessex Region, 11 (Unpublished document). SWX1387.

One of a group of five barrows on Ballard Down. The only dimensions for this site are given by Grinsell (1959) as about 11m dia. And 0.5m high. Nothing was visible when the site was visited.

<8> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 457635 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

'A' - SZ 02738123. Turf covered bowl barrow 7.0m. Diameter and
0.5m. High with no surrounding ditch or traves of mutilation.

'B' - SZ 02748123. Turf covered bowl barrow, 6.5.m. diameter and
0.5m. High with no surrounding ditch. Mutilated in the south by
a track and in the north by a slit treanch.

'C' - SZ 02798125. No visible traces of this barrow; the site
having apparently been built upon during the 1939-45 war. (see
plan and profile).

'D' - SZ 02758125. A slight elongated mound, orientated north-
south, and surmounted by a boundary stone (shown on OS 6"), is
probably a natural feature. (2)

Ballard Down Group of round barrows lie close together on the
spine of the steep:sided chalk ridge. The area, built on the
disturbed circa 1940, and now almost levelled by ploughing,
contains numerous slight rises similarly marked by concentrations
of stone rubble, making identification of barrows recorded here
very difficult. The reasonably certain barrows are:

'A' (84)-SZ 02738123. Bowl Barrow, 27ft diameter and 1ft high.
(Grinsell's Swanage No 7).

'B'- (85)-SZ 02748123. Bowl barrow about 24ft diameter and 1ft high. (Grinsell's Swanage No 7a)

'C'-(87)-SZ 02798125. Bowl (?)barrow, (no diameter given) 1ft high. (Grinsell's Studland No 10 recorded as 11 paces diam x 1 1/2ft high). See field report

'D'-(86)-SZ 02768125. Bowl(?) barrow, about 30ft diameter and 1ft high. Boundary stone on top. (Grinsell's Studland No 5) see field report Authy 2.

'E'-SZ 02788124. Bowl barrow, 8 paces diameter and 1ft high near parish boundary. )Grinsell's Swanage No.8 - not listed by RCHM). (3-4)

Until recently, when it came to the National Trust, Ballard Down was regularly ploughed but it is now reverting to downland. Since the RCHM reported on this barrow group in 1970 (3) RCHM 84 (SZ 02728124) and RCHM 85 (SZ 02738123) have been ploughed out and only the faintest traces remain. RCHM 87 remains as described but is doubtfully a barrow. RCHM 86 (SZ 02748125) has a boundary
stone on top, on the line of the fence seperating NTL from arable to the N, and only the N side is now surveyable.

On grassland these 'features' are in bad condition, 160m OD. Surveyed at 1:2500. (5)

Record last edited

Apr 14 2023 7:20PM