Reasons for Designation
Round barrow cemeteries date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC). They comprise
closely-spaced groups of up to 30 round barrows - rubble or earthen mounds
covering single or multiple burials. Most cemeteries developed over a
considerable period of time, often many centuries, and in some cases acted as
a focus for burials as late as the early medieval period. They exhibit
considerable diversity of burial rite, plan and form, frequently including
several different types of round barrow, occasionally associated with earlier
long barrows. Where large scale investigation has been undertaken around them,
contemporary or later "flat" burials between the barrow mounds have often been
revealed. Round barrow cemeteries occur across most of lowland Britain, with a
marked concentration in Wessex. In some cases, they are clustered around other
important contemporary monuments such as henges. Often occupying prominent
locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape, whilst
their diversity and their longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the variety of beliefs and social organisation amongst early
prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period
and a substantial proportion of surviving or partly-surviving examples are
considered worthy of protection.
Despite some damage by ploughing, the barrows 1000m south east of Kingston
Russell Farm survive well. All will contain archaeological and environmental
evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was
constructed.
Details
The monument includes a bell barrow and five bowl barrows forming part of a
round barrow cemetery situated on Black Down, a gentle, north facing chalk
slope in an area of the South Dorset Downs.
The bell barrow has a mound composed of chalk, earth and flints with a
maximum diameter of 30m and a maximum height of c.3m. This is surrounded by a
berm or gently sloping platform which is visible as an earthwork 5m wide
around the periphery of the mound. Surrounding the berm is a ditch from which
material was quarried during the construction of the monument. This remains
visible as an earthwork 3m wide on the northern and southern sides of the
monument. Elsewhere, the ditch is no longer visible at ground level as it has
become infilled over the years, but it will survive as a buried feature.
The western bowl barrow is situated 12m to the north west of the bell barrow
and it has a mound composed of flint, earth and chalk, with a maximum diameter
of 23m and a maximum height of c.0.5m. This is surrounded by a ditch from
which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. This is
no longer visible at ground level as it has become infilled over the years,
but it will survive as a buried feature c.2m wide.
The four eastern bowl barrows were identified in 1952 and confirmed by L V
Grinsell in 1959. The barrows are broadly orientated north-south and, prior to
1960, had mounds 8m-10m in diameter and c.0.3m-0.45m high. The mounds are no
longer visible at ground level, as they have been spread by ploughing. The
underlying deposits and the ditches which surround the mounds will, however,
survive intact.
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.
