Scheduled Monument: Two bowl barrows in Watchmoor Wood 270m and 290m south west of Ashley Lodge (SM31912)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Two bowl barrows in Watchmoor Wood 270m and 290m south west of Ashley Lodge PARISH: ST LEONARDS AND ST IVES DISTRICT: EAST DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 31912 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SU13080542 SU13050545 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument, which falls into two areas of protection, includes two bowl barrows aligned north west by south east, situated on the northern periphery of a prominent ridge overlooking the Avon Valley to the east. The barrows each have a mound composed of sand, earth and turf, with maximum dimensions of 13m and 15m in diameter and about 0.5m and 0.85m in height. The larger mound is to the south. Surrounding each mound is a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. These have become infilled over the years, but each will survive as a buried feature 2m wide. 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. Despite some disturbance by tree planting operations, the two bowl barrows on the eastern part of Ashley Heath, in Watchmoor Wood, survive well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. MONUMENT INCLUDED IN THE SCHEDULE ON 14th July 1999

Record last edited

Feb 15 2017 10:18AM