Details

The monument includes a group of 21 round barrows situated within the western
area of the South Dorset Downs, on the lower part of a north facing slope,
within the valley of the South Winterbourne. This group forms the core of a
dispersed round barrow cemetery known as Winterbourne Poor Lot. The cemetery
contains at least 44 barrows, the remainder of which cluster in a series of
small groups to the south, east and north east. The cemetery is clearly
visible from the chalk ridges to the north and south, where further groups of
barrows are known to survive.
The core of the Poor Lot round barrow cemetery is situated within an area of
3ha and situated on a natural terrace in the hillside. Many of the barrows
within the group are inter-visible and individual settings suggest careful
location in order to provide views over other neighbouring barrow groups.
The largest barrow is a bowl barrow situated at the centre of the group.
It has a mound composed of chalk, earth and flint, with a diameter of 35m and
a maximum height of c.2.5m. This is surrounded by a ditch from which material
was quarried during the construction of the monument. The ditch survives as an
earthwork 4.5m-5m wide and c.0.65m deep.
At the western end is a linear group comprising a disc barrow and seven bowl
barrows which are orientated WNW by ESE. The disc barrow is defined by a bank
composed of chalk and earth with dimensions of 2m in width and c.0.75m in
height. The bank is surrounded by an outer ditch with maximum dimensions of
1.2m in width and c.0.4m in depth from which material was quarried during the
construction of the monument. The interior of the barrow includes a central
raised platform 19m in diameter, at the centre of which there is a crescent-
shaped mound 7.5m wide and c.0.4m high. The bowl barrows have mounds composed
of earth, flint and chalk with dimensions of between 12m and 23m in diameter
and c.0.5m to c.2.5m in height. All are situated just below the crest of the
ridge in order to stand out on the sky-line when viewed from the valley
bottom. Each of the barrows is surrounded by a ditch from which material was
quarried during the construction of the monument. In the case of the smaller
mounds, the ditches have become infilled over the years, but will survive as
buried features c.2m wide. The largest bowl barrow is surrounded by a ditch
which remains visible as an earthwork 2m wide and c.0.45m deep.
To the north and north east of the main alignment of barrows, is a group of
five smaller bowl barrows. These have mounds with dimensions of between 5m to
13m in diameter and c.0.25m to c.1.2m in height. All of the mounds are
surrounded by ditches which survive as buried features c.2m wide.
On the north eastern side of the group is a triple bowl barrow. This includes
three mounds which are amalgamated and have overall dimensions of 23m in
length, 12m wide (at the eastern end), 14m wide (at the western end) and a
maximum height of c.1.2m. The three barrow mounds are surrounded by a ditch
which has become infilled over the years, but is known to survive as a buried
feature c.3m wide.
At the eastern end of the cemetery is a group of three disc barrows. Unlike
the main group, these are aligned on a north east by south west axis,
following the alignment of the terrace on which they are situated. The
southern and central examples both have a central mound; this is c.0.25m high
and 10m in diameter in the case of the southern barrow and c.0.2m high and 12m
in diameter for the central barrow. Both are surrounded by a berm or gently
sloping platform 5m wide with an outer ditch 4m wide and c.0.25m deep for
southern barrow, 3m wide and c.0.2m deep for the central barrow. The northern
disc barrow has a central mound c.0.75m high and 15m wide, surrounded by a
ditch enclosing an internal area c.22m in diameter. The ditch is 2.5m wide and
c.0.15m-0.2m deep. On the outside of the ditch there are traces of a bank 3m
wide and c.0.15m high.
Some 20m to the north west of the central disc barrow is a small pond barrow.
This has a central depression 10m wide and c.0.2m deep which was surrounded by
an outer bank. This has become levelled over the years.
The round barrow cemetery is crossed by a parish boundary between Kingston
Russell and Winterbourne Abbas. This survives as a low bank 1m wide and c.0.5m
high to the south of the large bowl barrow near to the centre of the group.
There are also traces of old field banks running parallel to the modern field
boundary within the south western area of the cemetery. On the south eastern
side of the cemetery is a mound 20m in diameter and c.0.6m high. This is
situated close to a quarry and is likely to represent a spoil heap.
Excluded from the scheduling are all fence posts and gates relating to the
field boundaries, although the underlying ground is included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise
closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds
covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a
considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as
a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit
considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including
several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier
long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them,
contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been
revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a
marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other
important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent
locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst
their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early
prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period
and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are
considered worthy of protection.

The Poor Lot cemetery survives well as one of very few examples in Dorset
known to exhibit such a wide range of different forms of round barrow,
including some of the rare barrow types such as disc and pond barrows. The
cemetery is unusually situated within a valley bottom.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset: Volume I, (1970), 463
Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset: Volume I, (1970), 463
Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset: Volume I, (1970), 463
Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset: Volume I, (1970), 461-2
An Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Dorset: Volume 1 , (1952), 129
An Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Dorset: Volume 1 , (1952), 129
An Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Dorset: Volume 1 , (1952), 463
An Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Dorset: Volume 1 , (1952), 129
An Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Dorset: Volume 1 , (1952), 129
An Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Dorset: Volume 1 , (1952), 129
Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset: Volume I, (1970), 461-2
Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset: Volume I, (1970), 461
Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset: Volume I, (1970), 463
Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset: Volume I, (1970), 463
Grinsell, L V, 'Procs Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Soc.' in Dorset Barrows, (1959), 116
Grinsell, L V, 'Procs Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Soc.' in Dorset Barrows, (1959), 116
Grinsell, L V, 'Procs Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Soc.' in Dorset Barrows, (1959), 147
Grinsell, L V, 'Procs Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Soc.' in Dorset Barrows, (1959), 172
Grinsell, L V, 'Procs Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Soc.' in Dorset Barrows, (1959), 171
Grinsell, L V, 'Procs Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Soc.' in Dorset Barrows, (1959), 147
Grinsell, L V, 'Procs Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Soc.' in Dorset Barrows, (1959), 116
Grinsell, L V, 'Procs Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Soc.' in Dorset Barrows, (1959), 116
Other
Location,
Mention bank (NAR rept),
Sketchplan,

Source: Historic England