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.
Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, date from the late
Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most examples belonging to the
period 2400-1500 BC. Over 10,000 surviving examples are recorded nationally.
The bowl barrow on Black Down, 770m north west of the Hardy Monument survives
well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to
the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed. It forms part of
the wider South Dorset Ridgeway barrow group, which represents one of the
largest and most concentrated barrow distributions in England.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on the north western part of
Black Down, overlooking Lyme Bay to the south west and the South Winterborne
Valley to the north east. It forms part of a wider cemetery of 16 round
barrows (of which 15 survive) which forms part of the wider South Dorset
Ridgeway barrow group. The other barrows in the cemetery are the subject of
separate schedulings.
The barrow has a mound composed of sand, gravel and turf, with maximum
dimensions of 12m in diameter and about 0.8m in height. Surrounding the mound
is 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 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.
