Bowl barrow in Calcots Wood, 550m east of Tollard Farm

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.

Cranborne Chase is an area of chalkland well known for its high number, density and diversity of archaeological remains. These include a rare combination of Neolithic and Early Bronze Age sites, comprising one of the largest concentrations of burial monuments in England, the largest known cursus (a linear ritual monument) and a significant number and range of henge monuments (Late Neolithic ceremonial centres). Other important remains include a variety of enclosures, settlements, field systems and linear boundaries which date throughout prehistory and into the Romano-British and medieval periods. The survival of archaeological remains is due largely to the later history of the Chase. From at least Norman times, Cranborne Chase formed a Royal Hunting Ground and much of the archaeological survival within the area resulted from associated laws which applied until 1830. The unique archaeological character of the Chase has attracted much interest and research over the years. During the later 19th century, important contributions were made by General Pitt-Rivers, Sir Richard Colt Hoare and Edward Cunnington, often regarded as the fathers of British archaeology, whose research resulted in significant advances in excavation techniques, recording methods and archaeological interpretation. Archaeological investigations have continued throughout the 20th century and to the present day. The bowl barrow in Calcots Wood, 550m east of Tollard Farm survives comparatively well and is known from partial excavation by General Pitt-Rivers to contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to the monument and the landscape in which it was constructed.

Details

The monument includes a bowl barrow situated on a low ridge in Calcots Wood, within the area of Cranborne Chase. The barrow has a mound composed of earth, flint and chalk with maximum dimensions of 12m in diameter and about 1.2m in height. This is surrounded by a ditch from which material was quarried during the construction of the monument. The ditch is visible as an earthwork which is up to 2m wide and 1m deep. The barrow was excavated by General Pitt-Rivers in 1884, when flint tools, charcoal and Romano-British pottery were recovered. The excavation trench is still visible across the barrow mound.

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:

35205

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset: Volume I, (1970), 72

End of official list entry

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