Monument record MDO256 - Bincombe Barrow, bowl barrow in the Ridgeway Hill Group, Bincombe

Bronze Age bowl barrow. In 1972 this monument was reported as being around 27 feet in diameter with a mound about 4 feet high. In 1922 this barrow was excavated by Prideaux who found that the mound of the barrow covered a retaining circle of stones, enclosing eight inhumations. Two inhumations, thought to be adult males, were buried in the centre and had a Beaker bowl deposited with them. Other crouched burials of Bronze Age date were found, some in stone cists, and others inserted into the top of the mound; one of these with pottery of Iron Age date. Visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs. The site was digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project.

Grinsell recorded this barrow as 9 paces in diameter and 4 feet in height. <3>

Bowl Barrow with internal circle of stones (67208590), immediately N. of modern boundary with Weymouth. Diam. 27 ft., ht. 4 ft. Excavated by Prideaux in 1922. The mound covered a circular drystone wall, 25 ft. in diam. And 2 ft.-3 ft. high, enclosing eight inhumations. Two, probably adult males, lay in primary position below buried surface with unusual Beaker bowl; three, a man, a baby and a boy, lay immediately above buried surface, the first two in slab cists and the third with a handled 'A' beaker. Two or three interments were inserted into top of mound, one with Iron Age 'A' jar and broken antler, another with a piece of antler. A second Iron Age 'A' pot was also found. All but two burials were contracted. <3-4>

Bowl barrow of overall diameter 28.0m and 0.5m high surmounted by a tump 8.0m in diameter and height 0.8m. A part circle of stones remains on the east and south side of the central tump; five are visible and a few others are embedded and overgrown. No visible ditch. In arable. Re-surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD. <6>

An RCHME level 3 air photographic interpretation project (Event UID 932322) was carried out on this monument in October 1993. No new information was recorded. The archive produced by this project (Collection UID 932274) is held by the RCHME.(6)

Visible as an earthwork bank with enclosing ditch on aerial photographs <4>. The site was digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project.

Ditched Bowl barrow, 70ft. In diam. <4>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1927-38 (Map). SWX1540.

(SY 67198590) Circle of Stones (NR)

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1944, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1943, 38-52 (Serial). SDO43.

<3> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 90 (Monograph). SDO132.

‘Barrow enclosing inner retaining circle of stones, opened by CSP: primary deposit of about 6 crouched interments of EBA with unusual bowl of fabric and notched decoration which relate it to Beaker ware; a handled beaker; and an intrusive crouched inhumation with Iron Age A pot, above which was a deer antler (ritually ?) broken in halves. Dorset Proc lxv, 38-52. Finds in DCM.’

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 456 (Monograph). SDO150.

‘(24) Bowl, with internal circle of stones (67208590), 140 yds. E. of last and immediately N. of modern boundary with Weymouth. Diam. 27 ft., ht. 4 ft. Excavated by Prideaux in 1922. The mound covered a circular drystone wall, 25 ft. in diam. and 2 ft.-3 ft. high, enclosing eight inhumations. Two, probably adult males, lay in primary position below buried surface with unusual Beaker bowl; three, a man, a baby and a boy, lay immediately above buried surface, the first two in slab cists and the third with a handled 'A' beaker. Two or three interments were inserted into top of mound, one with Iron Age 'A' jar and broken antler, another with a piece of antler. A second Iron Age 'A' pot was also found. All but two burials were contracted. For stone circle, cf. Poxwell (12), and Weymouth (405). (Dorset Procs. LXV (1943), 38–52.)’

<5> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1978 (Map). SWX1540.

Tumulus (NR) - (Slopes reversed)

<6> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 02-FEB-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<7> Papworth, M, 1983, The South Dorset Ridgeway Project: condition and management survey, SDR 454 (Index). SDO12304.

Situated in a field regularly ploughed. The mound, resulting from the backfill to the excavation, was unploughed. 1/5/D

<9> Wessex Archaeology, 2011, South Dorset Ridgeway Barrow Survey 2010 (Unpublished document). SDO12407.

<10> 31-MAR-1934, NMR SY6785/5 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11848.

<11> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AF0932274 (Index). SDO14738.

RCHME: A354 Dorchester to Weymouth Project, Dorset. Wessex Archaeology requested RCHME Swindon Air Photography Unit, in 1994, to prepare a transcription of the Bronze Age bell and bowl barrows, and the Iron Age and Roman field system, prior to a road building programme.Contents : AP transcription, report, correspondence, project specification, research and miscellaneous materialCondition : SATISFACTORY

<12> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 997988 (Index). SDO14738.

A354 Dorchester to Weymouth/ink AP transcription

<13> Historic England, Historic England Archive, 997989 (Index). SDO14738.

A354 Dorchester to Weymouth/AP report

<14> National Record of the Historic Environment, 452042 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Nov 14 2023 10:39AM