Scheduled Monument: Bell barrow 100m south of Winterbourne Poor Lot, part of the Winterbourne Poor Lot round barrow cemetery (SM22939)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bell barrow 100m south of Winterbourne Poor Lot, part of the Winterbourne Poor Lot round barrow cemetery PARISH: WINTERBOURNE ABBAS DISTRICT: WEST DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 22939 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SY59039055 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a bell barrow forming part of the Poor Lot round barrow cemetery, situated within the South Dorset Downs on the lower part of a north facing slope within the valley of the South Winterbourne. This is one of 44 barrows known to occur within the Winterbourne Poor Lot cemetery. The bell barrow has a central mound composed of earth and chalk with a maximum diameter of 28m and a maximum height of c.4m. The mound is surrounded by a berm or gently sloping platform which is 3m wide and a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. This has become infilled over the years, but survives as a buried feature c.4m 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. The Poor Lot cemetery survives well as one of very few examples in Dorset known to exhibit such a wide range of different forms of round barrow, including some of the rare barrow types, such as disc and pond barrows. The cemetery is unusually situated within a valley bottom. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 31st October 1957 as part of: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 319 NAME: Group of barrows in Winterborne Poor Lot and adjoining wood Monument placed in Guardianship on 27th March 1961 as part of: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 319 NAME: Winterbourne Abbas Poor Lot Barrows The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 22939 NAME: Bell barrow 100m south of Winterbourne Poor Lot, part of the Winterbourne Poor Lot round barrow cemetery SCHEDULING REVISED ON 07th July 1995

Record last edited

Feb 1 2012 6:25AM