Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow 515m south of the southern extent of Horse Close (SM28362)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bowl barrow 515m south of the southern extent of Horse Close Plantation PARISH: BERE REGIS DISTRICT: PURBECK COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 28362 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SY83129713 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a bowl barrow situated at the western end of a chalk ridge overlooking the Bere Valley to the west. The barrow has a mound composed of earth, chalk and flint, with maximum dimensions of 35m in diameter and c.0.6m in height. The mound is surrounded by a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. The ditch has become infilled over the years, but will survive as a buried feature c.2m 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 reduction by ploughing, the bowl barrow 515m south of the southern extent of Horse Close Plantation survives comparatively well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 12th July 1961 as part of: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 599 NAME: Two Round Barrows, South of Horse Close Plantation The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 28362 NAME: Bowl barrow 515m south of the southern extent of Horse Close Plantation SCHEDULING AFFIRMED ON 05th March 1997

Record last edited

Apr 18 2017 11:54AM