Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow 570m south of Plantation Farm (SM27466)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bowl barrow 570m south of Plantation Farm PARISH: TARRANT HINTON DISTRICT: NORTH DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 27466 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): ST95571194 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a bowl barrow located adjacent to the parish boundary 500m south of Plantation Farm. The barrow has a mound which is c.9m in diameter and 0.25m high. Surrounding the mound is a quarry ditch from which material was excavated during its construction. This will survive as a buried feature c.2m wide. A further barrow c.40m to the south forms the subject of a separate scheduling. Excluded from the scheduling are all fence posts although the ground beneath these features 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 500m south of Plantation Farm, although reduced in height by ploughing, will contain archaeological remains providing information about Bronze Age burial practices, economy and environment. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 21st October 1968 as part of: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 739 NAME: Two Round Barrows on Tarrant Hinton Down The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 27466 NAME: Bowl barrow 570m south of Plantation Farm SCHEDULING AFFIRMED ON 07th February 1997

Record last edited

Nov 8 2011 5:28AM