Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow on Affpuddle Heath, 640m south of Wood Barn (SM28356)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bowl barrow on Affpuddle Heath, 640m south of Wood Barn PARISH: AFFPUDDLE DISTRICT: PURBECK COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 28356 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SY79959224 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on a ridge overlooking the Frome Valley to the south. The barrow forms part of a group of six which, together, form a round barrow cemetery situated upon a ridge across Affpuddle Heath and Bryant's Puddle Heath. The barrow has a mound composed of earth, sand and turf, with maximum dimensions of 14m in diameter and c.0.65m in height. The mound is surrounded by a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. The ditch is no longer visible, as it has become infilled over the years, but it will survive as a buried feature c.1.5m wide. 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 some vehicular damage, the bowl barrow on Affpuddle Heath, 640m south of Wood Barn survives comparatively well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. MONUMENT INCLUDED IN THE SCHEDULE ON 05th March 1997

Record last edited

Apr 20 2011 3:00AM