Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow in Gravel Hill Plantation, 340m north of Arrowsmith House (SM29592)

EXTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Bowl barrow in Gravel Hill Plantation, 340m north of Arrowsmith House PARISH: POOLE DISTRICT: POOLE COUNTY: POOLE NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 29592 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SZ01989732 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a bowl barrow in Gravel Hill Plantation 340m north of Arrowsmith House. The barrow has a mound 14m in diameter and 1.5m high, surrounded by a quarry ditch from which material to construct the mound was derived. This is visible as a slight surface depression on the northern side of the mound, and has been quarried away by old quarry diggings on the south east side, but elsewhere it has become infilled over the years and now survives as a buried feature about 2m wide. A second barrow previously recorded 10m to the east could not be located on the ground and is not included in the scheduling. 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 2400-500 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 in Gravel Hill Plantation 340m north of Arrowsmith House is a well preserved example of its class and will contain archaeological remains providing information about Bronze Age beliefs, economy and environment. MONUMENT INCLUDED IN THE SCHEDULE ON 24th July 1998

Record last edited

Nov 6 2012 12:01PM