Monument record MDO1424 - Bowl barrow, Askerwell Down

A bowl barrow, diameter 10 paces, ht 2 1/2 ft. <2>

A grass covered, ditchless bowl barrow; diameter 10.0m, height 0.6m. <4>

Excavated in 1956, a wide shallow flat-bottomed ditch surrounded a flint mound. In the centre were the remains of a Bronze Age cremation urn, of which only the base remained. An inhumation lay beneath this, fully extended; the hands were severed prior to burial and interred first.

Totally excavated and reconstituted, barrow was surrounded by wide and shallow flat-bottomed ditch, a roughly circular pit in the chalk at the centre of the mound was sterile, above it was a primary extended adult male inhumation, both hands may not have been severed and buried first but slipped through the other bones after the body had decayed and almost above the grave was a post hole. Near the surface were the remains of a secondary inurned, upright urn of D/R type, too crushed to be restored, probably Bronze Age. <6>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1903 (Map). SWX1540.

TUMULUS [O.E.]

<2> Grinsell, L V, 1935-54, Dorset Barrows 1935-54 Manuscript (Unpublished document). SWX1556.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 137 (Monograph). SDO97.

‘(14) BOWL BARROW and MOUNDS, to the N. of the road and 1,180 yards N. of the church. The barrow, (a), 270 yards W. of the cross-roads, is 33 ft. in diam. and 2½ fft. High. The two mounds, (b), 233 yards W. of the barrow, 19 ft. in diam. and 3 ft. high and (c), immediately N.E. of (b), 25 ft. in diam. and 3½ ft. high, may be barrows but are more probably spoil heaps.’

<4> Quinnell, N V, Various, Field Investigators Comments NVQ, F1 NVQ 27-APR-55 (Unpublished document). SDO11903.

<5> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows (Monograph). SDO132.

‘3 | W. of Litton Cheney turning | SY55329181| [Diam] 13 | [Height] 2 | D. Totally excavated and reconstituted by JSW in 1956. Barrow was surrounded by a wide and shallow flat-bottomed ditch. A roughly circular pit in the chalk at the centre of the mound was sterile; above it was a primary (?) extended inhumation, both hands of which had been severed and buried first. Near the surface were the remains of a secondary inurned cremation, probably Bronze Age. Dorset Proc lxxviii, 84.’

<6> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1957, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1956, 84 (Serial). SDO56.

<7> Grinsell, L V, 1982, Dorset Barrows Supplement (Monograph). SWX1703.

‘3 | W. of Litton Cheney turning | SY55329181| [Diam] | [Height] | Add: barrow ditch had a causeway at SSE. Primary extended inhumation of young adult male was in a central grave W/E, the head at the W. The hands had probably not been severed but had slipped through the other bones after the body had decayed. Almost above the primary interment was a post-hole 1 ft. 6 in. in diameter. Secondary cremation was in an upright urn of D/R type, too crushed to be restored. Wacher, 1959 (Barrow B. DCM (1959-42).’

<8> Royal Air Force, 22-JAN-1948, RAF/CPE/UK/2431 3151-2 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11098.

<9> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/088 RCHME Inventory: Dorset I (West) and Revision (Unpublished document). SDO17367.

<10> Historic England, Historic England Archive (Index). SDO14738.

Object Number
Object Title
Scope And Content
P41000 BARROWS C AND E. VIEW S.E.
P41001 CROMLECH. VIEW N.W.
P41002 BARROW B. VIEW S.E.
P41003 CROSS DYKE.VIEW NORTH FROM SECTION A.I.
P41004 CROSS DYKE.VIEW S.E.
P41005 TRACKWAY.VIEW WEST FROM POINT WHERE IT CROSSES THE DYKE.
P41006 BARROW B.CENTRAL POST HOLE OVER GRAVE.VIEW N.E.
P41007 BARROW B.CENTRAL POST HOLE OVER GRAVE.VIEW N.E.
P41008 A.I. NORTH FACE OF SECTION. VIEW NORTH.
P41009 A.I. NORTH FACE OF SECTION. VIEW N.W.
P41010 A.I. NORTH FACE OF SECTION. VIEW N.W.
P41011 BARROW B.CREMATION BURIAL.VIEW NORTH.
P41012 BARROW B.CREMATION BURIAL.VIEW NORTH.
P41013 BARROW B.CREMATION BURIAL.VIEW NORTH.
P41014 BARROW C. HUT(?)DITCH UNDER MOUND. VIEW EAST.
P41015 BARROW C. HUT(?)DITCH UNDER MOUND. VIEW EAST.
P41016 BARROW B. INHUMATION BURIAL. VIEW NORTH.
P41017 BARROW B. INHUMATION BURIAL. VIEW SOUTH.
P41018 BARROW B. SOLUTION HOLES TO N.E. VIEW NORTH.
P41019 BARROW B. SOLUTION HOLES TO N.E. VIEW WEST.
P41020 A.II. RUTS. VIEW EAST.
P41021 BARROW B.S.E.QUADRANT AND CAUSEWAY. GENERAL. VIEW WEST.
P41022 BARROW B. S.E.QUADRANT. DITCH ON EAST SIDE. VIEW WEST.
P41023 BARROW B. S.E. QUADRANT. GENERAL. VIEW NORTH.
P41024 BARROW B. S.E. QUADRANT. GENERAL. VIEW NORTH.
P41025 BARROW B. S.E. QUADRANT. CAUSEWAY. VIEW NORTH.
P41026 BARROW B. S.E. QUADRANT. SOLUTION HOLES. VIEW N.E.
P41027 BARROW B. S.E. QUADRANT. SOLUTION HOLES. VIEW S.W.
P41028 BARROW B. S.E. QUADRANT. WEST SIDE OF CAUSEWAY. VIEW EAST.
P41029 BARROW B. S.E. QUADRANT. WEST SIDE OF CAUSEWAY. VIEW EAST.
P41030 BARROW B. S.E. QUADRANT. WEST SIDE OF CAUSEWAY. VIEW N.E.
P41031 BARROW B. S.E. QUADRANT. WEST SIDE OF CAUSEWAY. VIEW N.E.
P41032 A.II. RUTS. VIEW EAST.
P41033 A.II. RUTS. VIEW EAST.
P41034 A.II. RUTS. VIEW EAST.
P41035 A.II. RUTS. VIEW NORTH.
P41036 A.II. RUTS. VIEW WEST.
P41037 A.II. RUTS. VIEW WEST.
P41038 BARROW B. GENERAL. VIEW EAST.
P41039 BARROW B. GENERAL. VIEW EAST.
P41040 BARROW B. GENERAL. VIEW WEST.
P41041 BARROW B. GENERAL. VIEW WEST.
P41042 BARROW B. GRAVE. VIEW WEST.
P41043 BARROW B. GRAVE. VIEW WEST.
P41044 A.IV. SHERDS IN DITCH FILLING. VIEW EAST.
P41045 A.IV. SHERDS IN DITCH FILLING. VIEW EAST.
P41046 A.I. PITCHED TURVES AT TAIL OF BANK.VIEW N.E.
P41047 A.I. PITCHED TURVES AT TAIL OF BANK.VIEW NORTH.
P41048 CROSS-DYKE FROM A.I. VIEW NORTH.
P41049 CROSS-DYKE FROM A.I. VIEW SOUTH.
P41050 CROSS-DYKE FROM A.I. VIEW NORTH.
P41051 TRACKWAY FROM A.III. VIEW EAST.
P41052 A.III. TRACK AT POINT OF CROSSING DITCH. VIEW S.E.
P41053 A.III. TRACK AT POINT OF CROSSING DITCH. VIEW S.E.
P41054 A.III. TRACK AT POINT OF CROSSING DITCH. VIEW S.E.
P41055 A.III. TRACK AT POINT OF CROSSING DITCH. VIEW S.E.
P41056 A.IV. TOP OF BANK. VIEW NORTH.
P41057 A.IV. TOP OF BANK. VIEW NORTH.
P41058 BARROW E. HUT(?)DITCH UNDER MOUND. VIEW N.E.
P41059 BARROW E. HUT(?)DITCH UNDER MOUND. VIEW N.E.
P41060 A.IV. NORTH FACE OF BANK. VIEW OF N.E.
P41061 A.IV. NORTH FACE OF BANK. VIEW N.E.
P41062 A.IV. NORTH FACE OF BANK. VIEW SOUTH.
P41063 A.IV. NORTH FACE OF BANK. VIEW SOUTH.
P41064 A.IV. NORTH FACE OF BANK. VIEW S.W.
P41065 A.IV. NORTH FACE OF BANK. VIEW N.W.
P41066 A.III. DITCH. VIEW NORTH.
P41067 A.III. DITCH. VIEW NORTH.

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 451167 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Feb 6 2024 6:51AM