Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow on Burleston Down 840m south east of Crawthorne Farm (SM33534)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bowl barrow on Burleston Down 840m south east of Crawthorne Farm PARISH: BURLESTON DISTRICT: WEST DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 33534 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SY77849599 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a bowl barrow lying on the crest of a steep north facing slope on Burleston Down, 840m south east of Crawthorne Farm. The barrow has been reduced in height by ploughing and is visible on the surface as a slight rise on the ground surface. In 1952 the Ordnance Survey recorded the barrow as having a mound 20m in diameter and 0.5m high. The quarry ditch surrounding the mound from which material was derived for its construction has become infilled over the years, but will survive as a buried feature about 3m wide. The barrow lies within an extensive area of later prehistoric field system which has been reduced in height by ploughing and is no longer visible on the surface. The field system is not included in the scheduling. 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. Despite being reduced in height by ploughing, the bowl barrow on Burleston Down 840m south east of Crawthorne Farm will include archaeological deposits containing evidence about Late Neolithic to Bronze Age burial practices, society and the contemporary environment. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 17th July 1961 as: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 538 NAME: Round barrow on Burleston Down The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 33534 NAME: Bowl barrow on Burleston Down 840m south east of Crawthorne Farm SCHEDULING AFFIRMED ON 17th May 2000

Record last edited

Apr 19 2011 5:55AM