Five bowl barrows and a bell barrow forming a round barrow cemetery on the western part of Godlingston Heath

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 round barrow cemetery on Godlingston Heath survives well, although some minor disturbance has been caused by the construction of a number of military trenches around the fringe of the monument. Despite this, the barrows will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the cemetery and the landscape in which it was constructed. The configuration of barrows in this cemetery is unusual, with an `arena' defined by the barrow mounds and their position in relation to a natural cliff. Research at comparable sites suggests that such areas might contain evidence for some of the rituals associated with Bronze Age burial practices.

Details

The monument includes five bowl barrows and a bell barrow forming a round barrow cemetery on a prominent ridge of Godlingston Heath in the Isle of Purbeck, with views over the surrounding heathland and Brand's Bay to the north east. The cemetery, which is arranged in a semicircle, is bounded by a steep natural cliff to the north and encloses a crescent-shaped area abutting the cliff which has the appearance of an `arena'. This feature is likely to have been deliberately created by the careful location of the barrow mounds. The bowl barrows each have a mound composed of sand and turf, with diameters ranging between 12m and 18m and a maximum height of between c.1m and 1.5m. Each mound is surrounded by a ditch from which material was quarried during its construction. These have become infilled over the years, but will survive as buried features c.2m wide. The bell barrow, which is situated on the northern side of the group, has a central mound composed of sand and turf, with a maximum diameter of 20m. This is surrounded by a berm or gently sloping platform 5m wide, itself surrounded by a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. The ditch has become infilled over the years but will survive as a buried feature c.2.5m wide. The cemetery has been the focus of recent military activity, some trenches having been dug into some of the mounds.

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:

22973

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Title: National Trust Archaeological Survey Field Collection Sheet Source Date: Author: Publisher: Surveyor: Sketch plan of barrow cemetery
Papworth, MDJ, National Trust Archaeological Survey and Data Collection Sheet, (1988)
Papworth, MDJ, National Trust Archaeological Survey and Data Collection Sheet, (1988)
Papworth, MDJ, National Trust Archaeological Survey and Data Collection Sheet, (1988)
Papworth, MDJ, National Trust Archaeological Survey and Data Collection Sheet, (1988)
Papworth, MDJ, National Trust Archaeological Survey and Data Collection Sheet, (1988)
Papworth, MDJ, National Trust Archaeological Survey and Data Collection Sheet, (1988)
Papworth M D J, (1988)

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