Monument record MDO8073 - Povington Barrow, Tyneham

A Bronze Age barrow mound is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs taken in 1945-6. In 1937 a cremation burial in an urn was discovered at the edge of the mound. Salvage excavation by W H C Frend suggested that the cremation may have been one of a number of burials set in a circle at the edge of the mound.

SY 88058214. Povington Barrow, a bowl barrow, 56ft diameter and 7ft high. A cremation in a biconical Bronze Age urn, now in Dorset
Co. Museum, was found under a small flint cairn. <1>

The discovery of a Late Bronze Age bucket-shaped urn with cremation at Povington Barrow in 1937 was the result of a salvage operation. The urn was standing on its base at the extreme edge of the barrow, apparently on the turf line on which this had originally been built. This suggests that it may have been one of a number of burials set in a circle at the edge of the mound, later than a secondary interment. The urn itself had been covered by a small cairn of local flints. The cremated bones were in a very fragmentary state but no other pottery or finds were discovered. <2>

SY 881820. Povington Barrow. Round barrow. Scheduled. <5>

SY 88048213. Povington Barrow (name not confirmed) - a bowl barrow of diameter 19.0m. and height 2.3m. situated on heathland on the
west side of a natural knoll. Resurveyed at 1:2500 on M.S.D. <6>

The Bronze Age barrow mound (18m across) is visible as earthworks on aerial photographs taken in 1945-6 <7-8>. It was digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck Mapping Project. It is not identifiable on recent Google Earth imagery although traces of the earthwork may remain on the ground.

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1949, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1948, 55 (Serial). SDO48.

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1950, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1949, 68-69 (Serial). SDO49.

‘W. H. C. Frend reports: The discovery of a Late Bronze Age bucket-shaped urn with cremation in a round barrow in Povington Heath in 1937 was the result of a salvage operation. The barrow had been used by children living in a nearby cottage as a sandpit, and the burial was about to be disturbed. The urn was standing on its base at the extreme edge of the barrow, apparently on the turf line on which this had originally been built. This suggests that it may have been one of a number of burials set in a circle at the edge of the mound, rather than a secondary interment. The urn itself had been covered by a small cairn of local flints, and there were traces of turfs which had been laid on top of this. The cremated bones were in a very fragmentary state. Apart from the urn, no other pottery or implements were found.’

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

(SY 88048213) Povington Barrow (NR)

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 2, 454 (Monograph). SDO149.

‘Thorn Barrow Group (SY 88 SE). Six barrows around 200 ft. contour W. of Povington. Three, possibly four (15–18), are close together in a straight line. … (21) Povington Barrow, bowl (SY 88 SE; 88058214), above 200 ft. on spur from a knoll. Diam. 56 ft., ht. 7 ft. Cremation in biconical Bronze Age urn, now in D.C.M., found at edge under small flint cairn (Dorset Procs. LXX (1948), 55; LXXI (1949), 68–9).’

<5> Department of the Environment, 1977, Department of the Environment (IAM) Ancient Monuments of England Vol 2, 71 (Monograph). SWX2300.

<6> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 02-JUL-81 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<7> Royal Air Force, 27-MAR-1945, RAF 106G/LA/200 2049-50 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13714.

<8> Royal Air Force, 04-NOV-1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1824 4238-9 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13711.

<9> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 455433 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 10 2024 3:14PM