Scheduled Monument: Bell barrow 850m south east of Kingston Russell Farm, part of the Black Down round barrow cemetery (SM22938)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bell barrow 850m south east of Kingston Russell Farm, part of the Black Down round barrow cemetery PARISH: KINGSTON RUSSELL DISTRICT: WEST DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 22938 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SY58739067 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a bell barrow, forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Black Down, a gentle, north facing slope overlooking the South Winterbourne valley, in an area of the South Dorset Downs. The bell barrow was surveyed by L V Grinsell in 1959, when it consisted of a central mound 7.5m wide and c.1.8m high, surrounded by a berm or gently sloping platform 5.5m wide. The mound now has overall dimensions of 15m in width and c.1.5m in height. Surrounding the mound is a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. This has become infilled over the years, but will survive as a buried feature c.2m wide. ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them, contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are considered worthy of protection. Despite some damage, the bell barrow 850m south east of Kingston Russell Farm 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 31st October 1957 as part of: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 318 NAME: Group of barrows on north east part of Black Down The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 22938 NAME: Bell barrow 850m south east of Kingston Russell Farm, part of the Black Down round barrow cemetery SCHEDULING REVISED ON 27th June 1995

Record last edited

May 27 2011 4:50AM