Scheduled Monument: Bowl barrow 620m south east of Langton Lodge Farm (1020706)

MONUMENT: Bowl barrow 620m south east of Langton Lodge Farm PARISH: LANGTON LONG BLANDFORD TARRANT MONKTON DISTRICT: NORTH DORSET COUNTY: DORSET NATIONAL MONUMENT NO: 33575 NATIONAL GRID REFERENCE(S): ST91260732 DESCRIPTION OF THE MONUMENT The monument includes a bowl barrow 620m south east of Langton Lodge Farm. The barrow lies on the crest of a chalk ridge within Blandford Camp on the parish boundary between Langton Long Blandford and Tarrant Monkton. The barrow has a mound 15m in diameter and 1.5m high, surrounded by a quarry ditch, from which material was derived for its construction, visible as a slight depression on the north eastern side but elsewhere surviving as a buried feature 2m wide. A slight depression on the top of the mound may indicate former excavation although there are no records of any finds. All lamp-posts, fence posts, the antiquity marker and the road surface, where this crosses the barrow ditch on the east side of the monument, are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included. ASSESSMENT OF IMPORTANCE 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. This high level of survival of archaeological remains is due largely to the later history of the Chase. Cranborne Chase formed a Royal Hunting Ground from at least Norman times, and much of the archaeological survival within the area resulted from associated laws controlling land-use which applied until 1830. The unique archaeological character of the Chase has attracted much attention over the years, notably during the later 19th century, by the pioneering work on the Chase of General Pitt-Rivers, Sir Richard Colt Hoare and Edward Cunnington, often regarded as the fathers of British archaeology. Archaeological investigations have continued throughout the 20th century and to the present day. Bowl barrows, the most numerous form of round barrow, are funerary monuments dating from the Late Neolithic 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. Over 10,000 bowl barrows are known to survive nationally, of which a cluster of at least 395 examples has been identified on Cranborne Chase. Some of these have been levelled by ploughing but remain visible from the air as ring ditches. Buried remains will nevertheless survive at these sites, both within the ditch fills and associated with the central burial pit. Bowl barrows are particularly representative of their period, whilst their considerable variation of form and longevity as a monument type will provide important information on the diversity of beliefs and social organisation amongst early prehistoric communities. Often occupying prominent locations, they are a major historic element in the modern landscape and constitute a significant component of the archaeology of Cranborne Chase. All surviving examples within this area are, therefore, considered to be of national importance. The bowl barrow 620m south east of Langton Lodge Farm is a comparatively well-preserved example of its class and will retain archaeological deposits providing information about Bronze Age burial practices, society and the contemporary environment. SCHEDULING HISTORY Monument included in the Schedule on 14th September 1962 as: COUNTY/NUMBER: Dorset 197 NAME: Round barrow 30 yards east of Blandford Reservoir The reference of this monument is now: NATIONAL MONUMENT NUMBER: 33575 NAME: Bowl barrow 620m south east of Langton Lodge Farm SCHEDULING AFFIRMED ON 03rd September 2002

Record last edited

Dec 12 2024 4:18PM