Bowl barrow in New Planting, forming part of the Three Barrow Clump round barrow cemetery

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 bowl barrow in New Planting survives well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the Three Barrow Clump cemetery and the landscape in which it was constructed. The round barrow cemetery contains a bell barrow, of which 250 are known nationally and a pond barrow, of which only 60 are known.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on a low ridge of the South Dorset Downs overlooking the South Winterbourne valley to the north. The barrow represents an outlier of the Three Barrow Clump round barrow cemetery, which is situated on higher ground 250m to the south west and contains at least eight round barrows in all. The barrow has a mound composed of chalk, earth and flint with a maximum diameter of 11m and a maximum height of c.0.4m. 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.1m 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:

22956

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Mention no sign of ditch,
Mention flinty mound,

End of official list entry

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