Details

The monument includes the remains of two bowl barrows, aligned north west -
south east, part of a group of four barrows on the top of a chalk ridge in
Hinton Bushes. The western barrow has a mound which was recorded in 1972 as
being 17m in diameter and 1m high. There is a well established badger set in
the mound and the burrows reveal that the mound is made up of flint and chalk.
The ditch surrounding the mound is no longer visible but will survive as a
buried feature c.2m wide. The remains of the second barrow lie immediately to
the north east. Formerly recorded as having a diameter of 14m and a height of
1m, by 1961 it had been levelled to make way for a farm track. Although the
mound is no longer visible the ditch surrounding it will survive as a buried
feature c.2m wide. All fence posts are excluded from the scheduling, although
the ground beneath these features 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.

Despite damage by animal burrowing and track construction, the bowl barrows in
Hinton Bushes will contain archaeological remains, providing information about
Bronze Age burial practices, economy and environment.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Grinsell, L V, 'Procs Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Soc.' in Dorset Barrows, (1959), 101

Source: Historic England