Scheduled Monument: Three bowl barrows north east of Thorncombe Beacon, 160m, 190m & 400m south west of Down House (SM29574)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Three bowl barrows north east of Thorncombe Beacon, 160m, 190m & 400m south west of Down House PARISH: SYMONDSBURY DISTRICT: WEST DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 29574 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SY43599162 SY43779172 SY43759181 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument, which lies in three areas, includes three bowl barrows in prominent locations north east of Thorncombe Beacon. The barrows have mounds which vary in size from 30m to 35m in diameter and between 1m and 3.7m in height. Each barrow is surrounded by a quarry ditch from which material was excavated during its construction. These have become infilled over the years but survive as buried features approximately 3m wide. All fence posts are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath is included. 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. The three bowl barrows north east of Thorncombe Beacon are well preserved examples of their class and will contain archaeological remains providing information about Bronze Age burial practices, economy and environment. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 19th December 1958 as: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 369 NAME: Group of Three Round Barrows NE of Thorncombe Beacon The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 29574 NAME: Three bowl barrows north east of Thorncombe Beacon, 160m, 190m & 400m south west of Down House SCHEDULING REVISED ON 25th September 1997

Record last edited

Mar 20 2017 10:53AM