Monument record MDO7681 - Bronze Age bell barrow, Highwood Heath, East Stoke

A Bronze Age bell barrow, one of three situated on a low rise. In 1970 this monument was reported as being a mound about 9 feet high with a sloping berm, around 93 feet in diameter altogether, surrounded by a ditch about 10 feet wide. A circular mound is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs and Lidar imagery of Highwood Heath, East Stoke. It is surrounded by an outer ditch and has a hollow in its centre. This feature is considered likely to be the remains of the Bronze Age bell barrow described above.

'A'. A large example of bell barrow, with berm 5yds. wide at SY 87038539. <2> 'A'. A bracken covered mound 29.0 metres in diameter and 2.8 metres high. The berm is 4.0 metres wide, and the surrounding ditch has an average width of 2.0 metres, and a depth of 0.5 metres. The top of the mound is flattened, but contains two square hollows each, 0.5 metres deep and with sides of 1.5 metres. Another similar hollow occurs in the north side of the barrow, and the spoil from this has been thrown into the extreme north part of the ditch. These excavations appear to be of a military nature. A bell barrow. No surface finds were made in the vicinity of these barrows during field perambulation. <3> SY 866856 - SY 870854. Round barrows on Highwood Heath Scheduled. <5> 'A'. SY 87038538. Bell barrow, now completely overgrown with gorse and trees making close inspection impossible. Revised at 1:2500 on M.S.D. from above measurements. <6> A circular mound, approximately 28.7m in diameter, is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs <8> and Lidar imagery <9> of Highwood Heath, East Stoke. It is surrounded by an outer ditch, approximately 2m wide, and has a hollow in its centre. This feature is considered likely to be the remains of the Bronze Age bell barrow described above. It was digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck Mapping Project.

Record last edited

Oct 19 2023 11:13AM