Summary

Bowl barrow 735m NNW of Herrison House.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 26 January 2016. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

This monument includes a bowl barrow situated on the upper south facing slopes of a prominent ridge overlooking the dry valleys of Forston Field Bottom and an unnamed dry valley leading towards the River Cerne. The barrow survives as a circular mound measuring approximately 19.6m in diameter and up to 1m high. Cultivation has revealed significant quantities of Roman roofing tile, brick and Romano British pottery scattered across the mound and intermixed with flint.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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. 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. Despite reduction in the height of the mound through cultivation, the bowl barrow 735m NNW of Herrison House survives comparatively well and the association of large quantities of Roman brick and tile might suggest possible adaptive re-use as a dump it will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, longevity, territorial significance, social organisation, funerary and ritual practices, adaptive re-use and overall landscape context.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:-452968

Source: Historic England