Triple barrow and bowl barrow forming part of a barrow cemetery and part of an associated field system 250m north east of Winterbourne Poor Lot

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.

The Poor Lot cemetery survives well as one of very few examples in Dorset known to exhibit such a wide range of different forms of round barrow, including some of the rare barrow types, such as pond and disc barrows. The core of the cemetery is unusually situated within a valley bottom. The triple barrow is unusual in that the mounds derive from a common rectilinear quarry and the barrow is integrated into the boundary banks of a field system which originally extended to the north, west and south east.

Details

The monument includes a triple bowl barrow aligned north west by south east, a bowl barrow and associated field banks, situated within the South Dorset Downs on a south facing slope of the South Winterbourne valley. The barrows form four of the 44 barrows which are known to occur within the Winterbourne Poor Lot round barrow cemetery, the core of which is situated on the opposing hillside to the south.

The triple bowl barrow occupies a terrace in the hillside which is bounded by a steep slope to the south. The barrow now has the appearance of an elongated mound with maximum dimensions of 45m from north west to south east and 20m from south west to north east. Three individual profiles are visible within the upper slope along the long axis of the mound. The individual mounds vary from 10m to 18m in diameter and c.0.8m to c.1.2m in height. To the north east of the barrow is a rectilinear depression with maximum dimensions of 25m by 12m from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. On the north western side of the monument traces of a quarry ditch 3.5m wide were recorded in a 1970 survey. This is no longer visible, as it has become infilled over the years, but it will survive as a buried feature. To the north and east of the triple barrow are the banks of a field system which are visible as low earthworks. The boundary of the field system was aligned upon the triple barrow and the barrow mound became incorporated into the south western corner of the boundary bank. There is also a quarry with a diameter of 6m and a depth of c.0.5m situated on level ground 10m to the east of the western mound of the triple barrow. The quarry is adjacent to a bank of the field system.

An additional bowl barrow is situated 15m to the south east of the triple barrow, along the same terrace in the hillside. This has a mound composed of earth, flint and chalk with a maximum diameter of 6m and a maximum height of c.0.15m. Surrounding the mound is a ditch from which material was quarried during its construction. The ditch is no longer visible, as it has become infilled over the years, but it will survive as a buried feature c.2m wide.

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:

22942

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset: Volume I, (1970), 463
Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset: Volume I, (1970), 463
Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset: Volume I, (1970), 463
Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset: Volume I, (1970), 463

End of official list entry

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