Monument record MDO8784 - Round barrow, Bournemouth Airport, Hurn

Bronze Age Round Barrow excavated in advance of the construction of RAF Hurn in 1941. No obvious burial was encountered, but small pieces of charcoal and a triangular stake hole were found, suggesting this monument may have been a cenotaph.

Tumulus 22 paces by 2-3 ft high, small. ? undisturbed - no central excavation. <2> Small Bronze Age turf round barrow measuring about 20 m in diameter. It was excavated in 1941 in advance of the construction of RAF Hurn. A single stake hole was found beneath the barrow. No grave pit was found and no human remains were recovered. If there was a burial, it must have been laid on the ground surface. It is assumed that any inhumation burial will have completely decayed in the acid soil. The mound measured 65 ft in diam x 6.2 ft at its greatest height. Small pieces of charcoal were found and a triangular stake hole measuring 6" x 6" x 9", its base being N-S and its apex towards West. No sign of decayed wood was present. In the absence of a grave we must assume that either the burial was placed on the old surface and covered by clay and gravel mounds, or that there was no burial and that the barrow and stake together represented a cenotaph rather than a burial place. <3> No visible remains. Site was built over by Hurn Airport. <4>

Record last edited

Aug 9 2023 3:13PM