Details

The monument includes a triple bowl barrow aligned north west by south east, a
bowl barrow and associated field banks, situated within the South Dorset Downs
on a south facing slope of the South Winterbourne valley. The barrows form
four of the 44 barrows which are known to occur within the Winterbourne Poor
Lot round barrow cemetery, the core of which is situated on the opposing
hillside to the south.

The triple bowl barrow occupies a terrace in the hillside which is bounded by
a steep slope to the south. The barrow now has the appearance of an elongated
mound with maximum dimensions of 45m from north west to south east and 20m
from south west to north east. Three individual profiles are visible within
the upper slope along the long axis of the mound. The individual mounds vary
from 10m to 18m in diameter and c.0.8m to c.1.2m in height. To the north east
of the barrow is a rectilinear depression with maximum dimensions of 25m by
12m from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument.
On the north western side of the monument traces of a quarry ditch 3.5m wide
were recorded in a 1970 survey. This is no longer visible, as it has become
infilled over the years, but it will survive as a buried feature.
To the north and east of the triple barrow are the banks of a field system
which are visible as low earthworks. The boundary of the field system was
aligned upon the triple barrow and the barrow mound became incorporated into
the south western corner of the boundary bank. There is also a quarry with a
diameter of 6m and a depth of c.0.5m situated on level ground 10m to the east
of the western mound of the triple barrow. The quarry is adjacent to a bank of
the field system.

An additional bowl barrow is situated 15m to the south east of the triple
barrow, along the same terrace in the hillside. This has a mound composed of
earth, flint and chalk with a maximum diameter of 6m and a maximum height of
c.0.15m. Surrounding the mound is a ditch from which material was quarried
during its construction. The ditch is no longer visible, as it has become
infilled over the years, but it will survive as a buried feature c.2m wide.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

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 pond and disc barrows. The
core of the cemetery is unusually situated within a valley bottom. The triple
barrow is unusual in that the mounds derive from a common rectilinear quarry
and the barrow is integrated into the boundary banks of a field system which
originally extended to the north, west and south east.

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), 463

Source: Historic England