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Barrow 30yds (27m) east of Dorset Cursus

A Scheduled Monument in Sixpenny Handley and Pentridge, Dorset

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Coordinates

Latitude: 50.9508 / 50°57'3"N

Longitude: -1.9638 / 1°57'49"W

OS Eastings: 402639.0794

OS Northings: 116822.894

OS Grid: SU026168

Mapcode National: GBR 417.8BJ

Mapcode Global: FRA 66SL.DS1

Entry Name: Barrow 30yds (27m) E of Dorset Cursus

Scheduled Date: 21 January 1958

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1002793

English Heritage Legacy ID: DO 304

County: Dorset

Civil Parish: Sixpenny Handley and Pentridge

Traditional County: Dorset

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Dorset

Church of England Parish: Wimborne St Giles

Church of England Diocese: Salisbury

Summary

Bowl barrow 1035m south west of Manor Farm.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 6 January 2016. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

This monument includes a bowl barrow situated on a gently sloping hill immediately south of the Dorset Cursus and the Salisbury Plantation. The barrow survives as a circular mound of up to 14m in diameter and 0.4m high surrounded by a buried quarry ditch from which the construction material was derived.

Further archaeological remains in the vicinity are scheduled separately.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Cranborne Chase is an area of chalkland well known for its high number, density and diversity of archaeological remains. These include a rare combination of Neolithic and Early Bronze Age sites, comprising one of the largest concentrations of burial monuments in England, the largest known cursus (a linear ritual monument) and a significant number and range of henge monuments (Late Neolithic ceremonial centres). Other important remains include a variety of enclosures, settlements, field systems and linear boundaries which date throughout prehistory and into the Romano-British and medieval periods. This high level of survival of archaeological remains is due largely to the later history of the Chase. Cranborne Chase formed a Royal Hunting Ground from at least Norman times, and much of the archaeological survival within the area resulted from associated laws controlling land-use which applied until 1830. The unique archaeological character of the Chase has attracted much attention over the years, notably during the later 19th century, by the pioneering work on the Chase of General Pitt-Rivers, Sir Richard Colt Hoare and Edward Cunnington, often regarded as the fathers of British archaeology. Archaeological investigations have continued throughout the 20th century and to the present day. Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar, although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form and a diversity of burial practices. A cluster of at least 395 examples has been identified on Cranborne Chase. Some of these have been levelled by ploughing but remain visible from the air as ring ditches. Buried remains will nevertheless survive at these sites, both within the ditch fills and associated with the central burial pit. Bowl barrows are particularly representative of their period, whilst their considerable variation of form and longevity as a monument type will provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and constitute a significant component of the archaeology of Cranborne Chase. Despite reduction in the height of the mound through cultivation the bowl barrow 1035m south west of Manor Farm will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, longevity, territorial significance, social organisation, funerary and ritual practices and overall landscape context.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:-213549

Source: Historic England

Other nearby scheduled monuments

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