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 reduction by ploughing, the bowl barrow and disc barrow 730m south of
Kingston Russell Farm survive comparatively well and will contain
archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the cemetery and the
landscape in which it was constructed.
The disc barrow is one of only 28 recorded in Dorset and 60 known in England.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow and disc barrow aligned north east to
south west and situated on a north facing slope of the South Dorset Downs
overlooking the South Winterbourne valley. The barrows form part of a cemetery
containing twelve round barrows, of which ten survive; the cemetery appears to
have developed around a pair of earlier long mounds situated on the south
western part of Black Down.
The bowl barrow, which is to the south west, has a mound composed of earth,
chalk and flint with a maximum diameter of 17m and a maximum height of
c.0.75m. Surrounding the mound is a ditch from which material was quarried
during the construction of the monument. This has become infilled over the
years, but will survive as a buried feature c.1.5m wide.
The disc barrow, which was first recorded by the Royal Commission for Historic
Monuments (England) in 1952, has since been reduced by ploughing. The barrow
was recorded as having a central mound composed of earth, chalk and flint, 5m
in diameter, surrounded by a berm or gently sloping platform 5m wide and
enclosed by an outer bank 2m wide. Surrounding the barrow is a ditch from
which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. This has
become infilled over the years, but will survive as a buried feature c.1.5m
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.
