Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow 850m west of Weatherby Castle hillfort (SM27433)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bowl barrow 850m west of Weatherby Castle hillfort PARISH: MILBORNE ST ANDREW DISTRICT: NORTH DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 27433 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SY79879612 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a bowl barrow 850m west of Weatherby Castle hillfort which lies near the summit of a low spur sloping north and east at the northern end of Warren Hill. The mound has been reduced in height by ploughing but has been previously recorded as having a mound 17m in diameter and 0.5m high on the downside slope, although it is no longer visible. Surrounding the mound is a quarry ditch from which material was excavated during its construction. This has become infilled over the years but survives as a buried feature c.2m wide. The barrow is probably that excavated in 1881 by J C Mansel-Pleydell when it produced pottery, ashes and a fossil. ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic period 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. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of protection. The bowl barrow 850m west of Weatherby Castle hillfort, although reduced in height by ploughing and despite the possibility of part excavation, will contain archaeological remains including information about Bronze Age burial practices, economy and environment. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 17th July 1961 as: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 539 NAME: Round Barrow East of Warren Hill The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 27433 NAME: Bowl barrow 850m west of Weatherby Castle hillfort SCHEDULING AFFIRMED ON 18th November 1996

Record last edited

Apr 21 2011 1:25AM