Monument record MWX846 - Bronze Age barrow, Ballard Down, Swanage

Bronze Age round barrow, the westernmost of a triangular group of three, is known from documentary sources and fieldwork and is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs on Ballard Down. This barrow was opened by J H Austen who found a crouched burial with deer antler near the head, and an extended burial higher in the mound.

A Bronze Age round barrow, the westernmost of a triangular group of three (see linked records), is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs on Ballard Down. The barrow measures approximately 8.5 m in diameter. (11) This site was digitally plotted during the South West Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey (Dorset).

Bowl barrow, has recently been further damaged on the south side by ploughing. The upper part of an inverted collared urn associated with pieces of bone were found by E E Harrison in 1967. In Dorset County Museum. <4>

SZ 03978130. Bowl barrow, 13 paces diameter and 3 feet high. Opened by J H Austen who found a primary crouched inhumation in a grave 5 feet below the original surface with a deer antler near the head. Two feet from the top of the barrow was an intrusive extended inhumation of a youth with head to the west. <2-4> <6>

Bowl barrow, 11 metres in diameter and 1.1 metre high. There is a hollow in the top and a slit trench at the western base. No surrounding ditch. <5>

Bowl barrow, has recently been further damaged on the south side by ploughing. The upper part of an inverted collared urn associated with pieces of bone were found by E.E Harrison in 1967. In Dorset County Museum. <7>

SZ 03978129. (89) Bowl barrow, 37 feet in diameter and 3 feet high with hollowed top. Excavated by Austen (similar information as Authority 6). Two round barrows at the east end of Ballard Down. <8>

No change to Authority 8 but National Grid Reference should read SZ 03978130. A barrow on grassland, in good condition, 117 metres OD. Surveyed at 1:2500. <9>

One of a group of three round barrows situated on Ballard Down. The bowl barrow is the southwestern barrow of the three and survives as an earthwork with a mound 12 metres in diameter and 0.65 metres high. Partial excavations of the mound by J H Austin in 1857 located a primary crouched inhumation with a deer antler close to the skull situated within a chalk cut grave 1.5 metres deep. A secondary extended inhumation of a juvenile, with the head orientated towards the west was located 0.6 metres between the surface of the barrow mound. <10>

The secondary inhumation is thought to be early medieval in date. <11>

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

Tumuli (NR) (three shown).

<2> Austen, J H, Purbeck Papers, 161-31 (Monograph). SWX8387.

<3> The Celtic Tumuli of Dorset : an account of personal and other researches in the sepulchral mounds of the Durotriges Nos. 94-95b (Monograph). SWX8388.

<4> Davis, Joseph Barnard, 1865, Crania Britannica: Delineations and Descriptions of the Skulls of the Aboriginal and Early Inhabitants of the British Islands, 45 (Monograph). SWX8389.

<5> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 01-SEP-52 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

'B' - bowl barrow, 11.0m. diameter and 1.1m. high. There is a hollow in the top and a slit trench at the western base. No surrounding ditch.

<6> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 133 (Monograph). SDO132.

‘Opened by JHA: primary crouched interment, head to N., but face to E., in grave 5 ft below original surface, with deer antler near head. Two feet from top of barrow was intrusive extended interment of a youth, with head to W. CTD (tovp), no 94; Purbeck Papers, 161; Cran. Brit ii, 45.’

<7> Harris, E E, 1967, Finds from Barrows on Ballard Down, Swanage, 140-141 (Article in serial). SWX3417.

<8> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3 (Monograph). SDO150.

‘(89) Bowl (SZ 08 SW; 03978129). Diam. 37 ft., ht. 3 ft. Hollowed on top. Austen found a primary contracted inhumation with antler fragment in grave 5 ft. deep into the chalk; other antler fragments occurred in grave filling. An extended E.-W. inhumation lay 2 ft. beneath top of mound (Purbeck Papers I, 161).’

<9> Wardale, C F, Various, Field Investigators Comments CFW, F2 CFW 16-AUG-85 (Unpublished document). SWX2704.

<10> Historic England, Scheduled Monument Notification, 25-Jun-01 (Scheduling record). SDO17468.

<11> Cherryson, A K, 2006, Gazetteer of Early Medieval Sites, 18-9 (Unpublished document). SDO17464.

<12> National Monuments Record, 18-NOV-2006, SZ 0481/28-34 NMR/24138/09-16 (Aerial Photograph). SDO12810.

<13> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<14> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1456551 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 7 2024 8:01AM