The northern of two bowl barrows on Holme Mount

Reasons for Designation

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 on Holme Mount survives comparatively well and contains archaeological remains and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. This barrow is one of a number which survive on this area of heathland between the River Frome and the Dorset coast.

Details

The monument includes the northernmost of two bowl barrows aligned north-south and situated on a hilltop. The barrow mound is 1.5m high and 11m in diameter. Surrounding the mound is a ditch from which material was quarried during its construction. This has become partially infilled over the years but can still be seen as a slight depression c.2m wide. The barbed wire fence and associated concrete post which truncates the barrow ditch on its west side, the current flagpost and its two iron girder supports, as well as the remains of an old wooden support, are excluded from the scheduling but the ground beneath 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.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

21943

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, , County of Dorset , (1970)

End of official list entry

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