Details

The monument includes the remains of a bowl barrow, known as Bul Barrow, 750m
east of Rawlsbury Camp hillfort, one of four barrows on top of the chalk
escarpment here known as Bulbarrow Hill. The barrow has a mound which is 16m
in diameter and a maximum of 1.5m high. Much of the centre of the mound has
been hollowed out to a depth of 0.5m. The mound is surrounded by a ditch 3m
wide and 0.3m deep. This has been truncated by the road on the south west
side. The barrow has been used as a beacon in the past.
The metalled road surface is excluded from the scheduling, although the ground
beneath it is included.

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

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. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl
barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring
across most of lowland Britain. 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
and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of
protection.

Bul Barrow, 750m north east of Rawlsbury Camp, is a comparatively well
preserved example of its class located in a prominent position. The barrow
will contain archaeological remains, providing information about Bronze Age
burial practices, economy and environment. This is a well known landmark in
the area and has in the past been used as a beacon.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Hutchins, J, History of Dorset: Volume IV, (1870), 419
Wools, C, The Barrow Diggers, (1839), 77

Source: Historic England