Monument record MDO257 - Bell Barrow in the Ridgeway Hill Group, Bincombe

A bell barrow excavated by the Ministry of Works in 1963. The excavators found a stone retaining wall covered by turf and capped with chalk. There appeared to be three primary burials, comprising inhumation burials of a woman and a child, and a cremation burial. Other cremation burials were found within the mound. In 1970 this monument was reported as being around 90 feet in diameter with a mound about 6 feet high, and a ditch 6 feet wide and 4 feet deep. The site was digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project.

This barrow was 40 paces in diameter and 6 feet in height. <2>

Round barrows on Ridgeway Hill : 'A'. Bell (SY 67398583) Diam. About 90 ft., ht. 6 ft., before excavation in 1963. Central cairn, revetted by drystone wall some 30 ft. in diam. And 2 ft. high, covered three primary burials: a slightly contracted female inhumation, possibly wrapped in shroud fastened at neck by bronze awl, in central cist with shortnecked beaker; an unaccompanied child inhumation, perhaps similarly wrapped, in small cist; and an unaccompanied cremation in pit. In cairn were four unaccompanied cremations, and a fifth was contained in large, upright food-vessel. Cairn covered by turf stack capped with chalk. Ditch 6 ft. wide and 4 ft. deep: overall diam. 120 ft. <2-5>

'A' SY 67408581 Diameter 42.0m, height 1.7m (average). No visible evidence of a berm or of a ditch (? Ploughed intensively, obliterating ditch since the RCHM report). All the barrows are in arable. Re-surveyed at 1:2500 on MSD. <6>

A RCHME level 3 air photographic interpretation project (Event UID 932322) was carried out on this monument in October 1993. In several cases the marks seen on the photographs were such as would normally be associated with a shallow depression, but examination on the ground which post-dates the photographs makes it quite clear that they all still possess relief. The changes noted were as follows: 'A' SY 67388582 The appearance of this barrow on the photographs is confusing as it seems to have a hollow at its centre, with a small berm in turn surrounded by a shallow outer ditch.The archive produced by the project (Collection UID 932274) is held by the RCHME. <8>

Bell Barrow, excavated, in grave, primary female skeleton, slightly contracted, with short necked beaker vertical finger nail-decorated, the body probably wrapped in garment or shroud of cloth, fastened at neck by bronze awl. Pits nearby contained skeleton of child perhaps also wrapped in cloth, and a simple cremation, above these interments, a cairn in which were 4 simple cremations, there was also a secondary cremation, in upright urn of enlarged food-vessel type. Cairn revetted by wall and covered by turf stack.

The site was digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project. <10>

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

(Centred at SY 67638585) Tumuli (NR) Tumulus (NR) (twice)

<2> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 91 (Monograph). SDO132.

<3> Ministry of Works, 1964, Excavations 1963, 7 (Serial). SDO17177.

<4> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1965, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1964, 102-103 (Serial). SDO64.

‘EXCAVATION OF THREE BARROWS ON THE RIDGEWAY, BINCOMBE. These three round barrows (SY 674858) form part of the famous Dorset Ridgeway cemetery [Footnote: this interim report is reprinted by kind permission of the Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments, from the Ministry of Public Building and Works’ pamphlet Excavations, Annual Report, 1963.] … (b) This was a Bell Barrow consisting of a very large cairn having an outer revetment wall some 2ft. high and 30ft. in diameter, covered by a turf stack and with a chalk capping. There were three primary burials – the central primary cist contained a lightly flexed female skeleton with an intact Short Necked Beaker with vertical fingernail impressions. The body seems to have been wrapped in a shroud, possibly of cloth, which was fastened at the neck by a bronze awl. A satellite cist contained the unaccompanied skeleton of a child which also appeared to have been enveloped in a shroud. A satellite pit contained an unaccompanied cremation. Finally four unaccompanied cremations were found in the body of the cairn and were contemporary with it. A single secondary cremation was contained with an upright enlarged Food Vessel of massive proportions (18 inches in diameter).’

<5> 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.

‘(25) Bell (67398583) 144 yds. E.N.E. of Weymouth (416). Diam. about 90 ft., ht. 6 ft., before excavation in 1963. Central cairn, revetted by drystone wall some 30 ft. in diam. and 2 ft. high, covered three primary burials: a slightly contracted female inhumation, possibly wrapped in shroud fastened at neck by bronze awl, in central cist with shortnecked beaker; an unaccompanied child inhumation, perhaps similarly wrapped, in small cist; and an unaccompanied cremation in pit. In cairn were four unaccompanied cremations, and a fifth was contained in large, upright food-vessel. Cairn covered by turf stack capped with chalk. Ditch 6 ft. wide and 4 ft. deep; overall diam. 120 ft. (Information from excavator; Dorset Procs. LXXXVI (1964), 102.)’

<6> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 01-FEB-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<7> Papworth, M, 1983, The South Dorset Ridgeway Project: condition and management survey, SDR 458 (Index). SDO12304.

Ploughed down in ley pasture. Visible as a low rise. 1/3/C

<8> Crutchley, Simon, RCHME: A354 Dorchester to Weymouth Project, 01-OCT-1993 (Unpublished document). SDO20404.

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

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

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 452017 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Dec 22 2023 4:34PM