Monument record MDO18854 - The Two Barrows', Fordington, Dorchester; western barrow

Site marked on OS, a barrow shown here on Issac Taylor's map of Dorsetshire (1765), also on OS wherein erroneously (?) called Lawrence barrow (Grinsell).

A boundary stone has been erected upon the grass-covered site. No certain traces of barrows remain though a slight and indefinite mound exists under the pathway 8.0m to the south. <1>

Two barrows, of which no traces remain, may have existed around SY 69788990. A barrow is shown here on Taylors map of Dorset (1765), and on OS 1" 1811, where it is called 'Lawrence Barrow.' <3-4>

SY 69778989. The site of one of these barrows is visible as a slight but unsurveyable swelling in the roadway. There is no visible evidence of the other. <5>

SY 69658979 (sic) A low mound survives beneath the south side of the road and the northern boundary of Hardye's School. Revealed by road widening, it is the more westerly of the 'Two Barrows', lost since the 19th century. The turf core of the barrow overlain by a spread chalk mound was visible, sealing and old turf-line, the estimated diameter of the whole being 14 to 18m. Traces of one or possibly two slight ditches existed on the western side of the mound. The surface beneath the turf core was covered in fresh flint-knapping debris and the core itself produced a fine barbed and tanged arrowhead. SY 69788979 The other barrow survives as a low mound 35m in diameter in pasture to the east. <6>

<1> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 21-AUG-54 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

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

(SY 69788990) The Two Barrows (NR) (sites of) (NAT)

<3> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 106 (Monograph). SDO132.

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 2, 444 (Monograph). SDO149.

<5> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F2 JGB 30-SEP-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<5.1> Sparey Green, C, Oral: Christopher Sparey Green (Verbal communication). SDO20250.

<6> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1981, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1979, 135 (Serial). SDO79.

‘Mr C J S Green observed the widening of a road serving a new car park of Hardy’s School and reports that this revealed the more westerly of the Two Barrows, lost since the 19th century. The low mound survives beneath the south side of the road and the northern boundary of the school grounds (SY 69658979). The turf core of the barrow overlain by a spread chalk mound was visible, sealing an old turf-line, the estimated diameter of the whole being 14 to 18m. Traces of one or possibly two slight ditches existed on the western side of the mound. The surface beneath the turf core was covered in fresh flint-knapping debris and the core itself produce a fine barbed and tanged arrowhead.
The other barrow survives as a low mound 35m in diameter in pasture to the east (SY 69788979).’

<7> Valentin, J, Dorchester, Former Hardye's School, Barnes Way. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society (Article in serial). SDO9426.

<8> Sparey-Green, C, 1994, Observations on the site of the ‘Two Barrows’, Fordington Farm, Dorchester; with a note on the ‘Conquer Barrow’ (Article in serial). SDO9688.

<9> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 451848 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jul 26 2024 1:14PM