Monument record MDO987 - Bowl Barrow on Lord's Down, Dewlish

Much disturbed bowl barrow, diameter about 85 feet, height 2 feet. The site of this round barrow is visible as a triple-concentric ring ditch on aerial photographs and was digitally recorded during the Dorset Upper Cern and Piddle AIM Project. Traces of an internal mound are visible as low earthworks on lidar imagery.

Six round barrows on Lords Down: C: SY 78439632. Bowl barrow about 85 feet diameter by 2 feet high. It is much disturbed, presumably by excavation, on the north-west side, and has been heavily ploughed. (Barrows 'C' 'D' and 'E' were probably excavated by Warne). <3>

These barrows have been reduced by ploughing since 1970 and now measure: 'C' SY 78429632, diameter 18.0m., height 0.4m. C-E in arable. None has a visible ditch. Re-surveyed at 1:2500 on M.S.D. <4>

Opened by Charles Warne, primary grave, containing beaker probably of type A, no inhumation is mentioned from this grave, above this, a layer of mould, above this a layer of chalk rubble which contained the first secondary interment, the skeleton of a child, beneath which were fragments of a plain pot of fine reddish material (food-vessel or beaker?) in a cist formed in the top of this layer of chalk rubble was an upright plain urn, containing the second secondary interment, a cremation probably a child, this mound of chalk rubble was covered with a layer of mould, over this another layer of chalk rubble, in which was a third secondary interment, a cremation with ashes beneath an inverted (Early/Middle Bronze Age?) urn shaped like an enlarged food vessel, on the south side of this layer of chalk, and in a cist cut into it, were the fourth and fifth secondary interments, cremations beneath inverted urns (Middle Bronze Age/Late Bronze Age hybrid?) above this was the final layer of mould, in which was a probably intrusive (Romano-British or pagan Saxon?) skeleton, this barrow had clearly been begun for the reception of an interment with a type A beaker, then enlarged probably both vertically and horizontally for successive interments in the Early/Middle Bronze Age and Late Bronze Age, and last of all used for insertion of a Roman or post-Roman interment, probably more interments are in the mound that may have been missed.

None of these barrows can be positively identified, but they are no doubt some of those in Group SY 79 NE 21. <5>

The site of this round barrow is visible as a triple-concentric ring ditch on aerial photographs and was digitally recorded during the Dorset Upper Cern and Piddle AIM Project. The outer ind is 30m across, and the inner is 13m across. Traces of an internal mound are visible as low earthworks on lidar imagery.<8-9>

<1> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows (Monograph). SDO132.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

(Centred SY 783963) Tumulus (NR) (twice) Tumuli (NR) (twice)

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 1, 88 (Monograph). SDO146.

‘Eight round barrows survive and are widely dispersed, except for the small group on Lord's Down. That this group was formerly more numerous is evident from Warne's excavation of six barrows here, immediately before the Down was brought into cultivation (C.T.D., Pt. 1, Nos. 33 to 38). No. 33, probably (13), was 82 ft. in diameter and 12 ft. high, having been enlarged periodically for the reception of secondary interments. It covered a primary grave 6 ft. in diameter and 2 ft. deep in the natural chalk; this grave contained a Beaker (probably Long-Necked or Type A) but apparently no inhumation. Above this lay the secondary interments; first, on a layer of chalk rubble, the skeleton of a child associated with Beaker fragments; second, in the top of the same layer, a cist with a small plain urn containing a cremation; third, above a layer of mould and in a further layer of chalk rubble, a cremation with ashes beneath an inverted ridged Food-vessel urn (C.T.D., Pl. IV, No. 15; Arch. J. CXIX (1962), 65); fourth, in a cist cut into the same layer, an inverted biconical urn (C.T.D., Pl. IV, No. 14; Arch. J., CXIX (1962), 59); the bottom of the latter was smashed by, fifth, a further inverted biconical urn (C.T.D., Pl. IV, No. 13; Arch. J., CXIX (1962), 60). Just below the surface was an undated skeleton, probably intrusive. … Lord's Down Group comprises the following four barrows which lie within the S. projection of the parish between 250 ft. and 300 ft. above O.D. … (13) Bowl (78439632), 60 yds. N.W. of (12), much disturbed presumably by excavation on the N.W. side and heavily ploughed; diam. about 85 ft., ht. 2 ft.’

<4> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 02-OCT-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<5> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 07-OCT-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<6> National Record of the Historic Environment, 454535 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 454622 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

<8> J R Boyden, 11-MAR-1973, JRB 575/20 (Photograph). SDO20892.

<9> Environment Agency, 15-DEC-2023, LIDAR Environment Agency DTM (Aerial Photograph). SDO20691.

Record last edited

Aug 17 2024 6:01PM