Monument record MDO1052 - Bowl barrow on Conygar Hill, Dorchester

One of two adjacent Bronze Age bowl barrows aligned east-west on Conygar Hill, both of which are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs and LIDAR. Opened by antiquarian Edward Cunnington, who found a crouched burial. Near the knees of this burial was a cremation with a food vessl and six flint arrowheads. Three later cremations were found higher up the mound, one in a Late Bronze Age bucket urn.

'B'. Bowl barrow(69808893) 105 yds. E of 'A' in similar situation. Diam. 75 ft., ht. 14 ft. Excavated by Cunnington. A primary contracted inhumation with a food-vessel at feet and six barbed-and-tanged flint arrowheads of 'Breton' type at knees lay by a cremation. Above, a block of Portland stone, at depth of 9 ft., measured 7 ft. by 4 ft. by 1 1/2 ft. and weighed nearly 3 tons. Of three secondary cremations, two lay close together 5 ft. from surface and one was in bucket urn 1 1/2 ft. from surface. Food-vessel and arrowheads in Dorset County Museum. <1> <3>

'B' SY 69798893. Bowl barrow; diameter 28.0m height 4.6m, with a flat top 7.0m in diameter. Neither barrow has a visible ditch, and although both have been slightly mutilated neither has been ploughed. Re-surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD. <4>

One of two adjacent Bronze Age bowl barrows (MDO1051 & MDO1052) aligned east-west on Conygar Hill, both of which are visible as earthworks on aerial photographs and LIDAR. <5-6>

<1> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 106 (Monograph). SDO132.

‘On WINTERBORNE HERRINGSTON bdry. Opened by EC: primary (?) crouched interment, near knees of which was a (subsequent primary?) cremation with food-vessel and 6 beautifully cut barbed-and-tanged flint arrowheads; above this and 5 ft. from the top were two secondary cremations; higher up, and 1½ft. from the top, was a cremation in a LBA bucket-urn. Ant. J xiii, 445. Wessex interment 22. Food-vessel and arrowheads in DCM.’

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

('A' SY 69698895, 'B' SY 69798894) Tumuli (NR)

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 444 (Monograph). SDO150.

‘(169) Bowl (SY 68 NE; 69798893) 105 yds. E. of (168) in similar situation. Diam. 75 ft., ht. 14 ft. Excavated by Cunnington. A primary contracted inhumation with a food-vessel at feet and six barbed-and-tanged flint arrowheads of 'Breton' type (fn. 1) at knees (Wessex interment no. 22) lay by a cremation. Above, a block of Portland stone, at depth of 9 ft., measured 7 ft. by 4 ft. by 1½ ft. and weighed nearly 3 tons. Of three secondary cremations, two lay close together 5 ft. from surface and one was in bucket urn 1½ ft. from surface. Food-vessel and arrow-heads in D.C.M. (Abercromby I, 95 and fig. 8; Ant. J. vii (1927), 459, and XIII (1933), 445.)’

<4> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 05-JUN-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<5> Royal Air Force, 28-MAY-1949, RAF 58/271 (F14) 5160-61 (Aerial Photograph). SDO10914.

<6> 21-FEB-2008, D0089663 (Aerial Photograph). SDO10908.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 451972 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Sep 13 2024 11:31AM