Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow on a spur 350m south of Gorcombe Farm. The
barrow which has been reduced in height by ploughing, was previously recorded
as 17m in diameter and is now visible only as a slight rise in the field
surface. The quarry ditch surrounding the mound will survive as a buried
feature c.2m wide. This is probably one of the three barrows excavated in 1811
by Mr White when it was found to contain a primary cremation in an urn which
had been placed in a circular cist 2ft (0.6m) wide and 1ft 6 inches (0.45m)
deep. The mound which was 5ft (1.5m) high was composed of alternating layers
of flint and chalk rubble.
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.

The bowl barrow 350m south of Gorcombe Farm, although reduced in height by
ploughing, is known from part excavation to 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), 99

Source: Historic England