Scheduled Monument: Ralph's Barrow (1015793)

XTRACT FROM ENGLISH HERITAGE'S RECORD OF SCHEDULED MONUMENTS MONUMENT: Ralph's Barrow PARISH: WEST PARLEY DISTRICT: EAST DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 27479 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): SZ08599882 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes Ralph's Barrow, a bowl barrow in a garden on Lone Pine Drive, West Parley, one of a dispersed group of barrows on the former heathland on Parley Common. The barrow has a mound, 25m in diameter and c.2m high, surrounded by a quarry ditch, from which material was excavated during its construction. The ditch is visible as a depression 3m wide on the southern and eastern sides of the mound. All fence posts, paved areas and built garden structures and the pavement are excluded from the scheduled area although the ground beneath these features has been included. ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE 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. Ralph's Barrow is a well preserved example of its class and will contain archaeological remains providing information about Bronze Age burial practices, economy and environment. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 8th November 1928 as: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 95C NAME: Ralph's Barrow, Parley Common The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 27479 NAME: Ralph's Barrow SCHEDULING AFFIRMED ON 16th May 1997

Record last edited

Oct 15 2024 4:00PM