Reasons for Designation
Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments
dating from the Late Neolithic period to the Late Bronze Age, with most
examples belonging to the period 2400-1500 BC. They were constructed as
earthen or rubble mounds, sometimes ditched, which covered single or multiple
burials. They occur either in isolation or grouped as cemeteries and often
acted as a focus for burials in later periods. Often superficially similar,
although differing widely in size, they exhibit regional variations in form
and a diversity of burial practices. There are over 10,000 surviving bowl
barrows recorded nationally (many more have already been destroyed), occurring
across most of lowland Britain. Often occupying prominent locations, they are
a major historic element in the modern landscape and their considerable
variation of form and longevity as a monument type provide important
information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisations amongst early
prehistoric communities. They are particularly representative of their period
and a substantial proportion of surviving examples are considered worthy of
protection.
Details
The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on the south eastern part of
Sheep Down, overlooking Lyme Bay to the south west and the South Winterborne
valley to the north east. It forms part of a wider round barrow group situated
on the South Dorset Ridgeway. The other barrows within the group are the
subject of separate schedulings.
The barrow has a mound composed of sand, gravel and turf, with maximum
dimensions of 15m in diameter and about 1.5m in height. The mound shows signs
of disturbance which may relate to an antiquarian excavation. The mound is
overlain by a bank, aligned SSE-NNW, with maximum dimensions of 0.8m in width
and about 0.5m in height, which marks the parish boundary between Winterbourne
Steepleton (to the east) and Littlebredy (to the west).
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 and
is also partly overlain by the parish boundary bank, but it will survive as a
buried feature 1.5m wide.
All fence posts relating to modern field boundaries are excluded from the
scheduling, although the ground beneath is included.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
33203
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
