Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow 80m west of Dormy House (1013791)

MONUMENT: Bowl barrow 80m west of Dormy House PARISH: LANGTON LONG BLANDFORD DISTRICT: NORTH DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 27365 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): ST91570658 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a ditched bowl barrow 80m west of Dormy House on Little Down, one of several barrows on Little and Rawston Down. The barrow has a flat topped mound c.16m in diameter and 0.6m high, which has an irregular surface. The mound is surrounded by a ditch, c.2m wide, which is partly visible on the north and south sides of the mound. This is probably the barrow, known as Down Wood Barrow, opened by Cunnington in 1881 when three primary contracted inhumations and three secondary cremations were identified. Excluded from the scheduling are all fence posts but 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 bowl barrow 80m west of Dormy House is a comparatively well preserved example of its class and is associated with other bowl barrows on Little and Rawston Down. The barrow is known from part excavation to contain archaeological remains, providing information about Bronze Age burial practices, economy and environment. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 26th March 1934 as part of: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 128 NAME: Group of round barrows near Buzbury Rings The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 27365 NAME: Bowl barrow 80m west of Dormy House SCHEDULING AFFIRMED ON 14th February 1997

Record last edited

Feb 22 2021 10:18AM