Details

The monument includes a Neolithic long barrow, known as Pimperne Long Barrow,
adjacent to the parish boundary between Tarrant Hinton and Pimperne, 300m
NNW of the war memorial at Collingwood Corner. The barrow, which is orientated
north west to south east, is situated in a prominent position at the top of a
hill. The barrow mound is parallel sided, c.98m long and c.18m wide. The mound
extends for c.2m into the ploughed field at its N end where it has been
reduced in height by ploughing. It is uneven in profile and slightly higher at
both ends with a maximum height of c.3m. On the east side of the mound there
is a berm up to 5m wide which is flanked by a ditch c.10m wide and 1m deep. On
the west side the ditch is c.8m wide and 0.7m deep.
Excluded from the scheduling are all fence posts although the ground
underneath 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

Long barrows were constructed as earthen or drystone mounds with flanking
ditches and acted as funerary monuments during the Early and Middle Neolithic
periods (3400-2400 BC). They represent the burial places of Britain's early
farming communities and, as such, are amongst the oldest field monuments
surviving visibly in the present landscape. Where investigated, long barrows
appear to have been used for communal burial, often with only parts of the
human remains having been selected for interment. Certain sites provide
evidence for several phases of funerary monument preceding the barrow and,
consequently, it is probable that long barrows acted as important ritual sites
for local communities over a considerable period of time. Some 500 examples of
long barrows and long cairns, their counterparts in the uplands, are recorded
nationally. As one of the few types of Neolithic structure to survive as
earthworks, and due to their comparative rarity, their considerable age and
their longevity as a monument type, all long barrows are considered to be
nationally important.

Pimperne Long Barrow is a well preserved and well known example of its class
and is one of several long barrows in the area, to the west of the west end of
the Neolithic monument known as the Dorset Cursus. It is in a prominent
position and adjacent to a public footpath. The barrow will contain
archaeological remains, providing information about Neolithic burial
practices, economy and environment.

Source: Historic England