Monument record MDO3173 - Bronze Age round barrow on Grove Hill, one of the Sherf Barrows, Winterborne St Martin

A Bronze Age barrow, recorded as an extant mound by RCHM and also visible as an earthwork and cropmarks on aerial photographs. One of a group of three barrows.

Three bowl barrows form a west-east line along the crest of Grove Hill about 1 mile north of the Ridgeway, though visible from it. All have been ploughed and are now of indefinite diameter, though at least 70 ft. Two ('A', 'B') were called 'Sherf Barrows' on I Taylor's Estate Map of c 1770 when both lay in an area of former open fields and were surrounded by square enclosures. … 'B' (63918849). Immediately adjacent on east-north-east of 'A'. Ht 1 1/2 ft. <1> <3>

'B' SY 63908849. Bowl barrow, diameter 29.0m. height 1.0m. All are in arable, and none has any visible evidence of a ditch. Re-surveyed at 1:2500 on M.S.D. <4>

It is also visible as an earthwork and cropmarks on aerial photographs <6-9> and was digitally plotted during the South Dorset Ridgeway Mapping Project. It is visible as an earthwork mound, approximately 17 metres in diameter, on earlier RAF photographs <6> suggesting it is perhaps a bowl barrow type. However later photographs <7-9>, taken after the mound has been plough-levelled, reveal an outer ditch, approximately 2 metres in width and 28 metres in diameter, possibly suggestive of a bell barrow type.

<1> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 152 (Monograph). SDO132.

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

(Centred at SY 640885) Tumulus (NR) 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, 468 (Monograph). SDO150.

<4> Barton, J G, Various, Field Investigators Comments JGB, F1 JGB 26-FEB-80 (Unpublished document). SDO11900.

<5> Papworth, M, 1983, The South Dorset Ridgeway Project: condition and management survey, SDR 315 (Index). SDO12304.

Bowl barrow 29.0m diameter and ht.1.0m. No visible ditch. Situated in a field usually ploughed about twice a year. 1/5/D

<6> Royal Air Force, 04-NOV-1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1824 4275-7 (Aerial Photograph). SDO11888.

<7> unknown date, NMR SY 6488/2 (CCC 11755/5805) (Aerial Photograph). SDO11889.

<8> 4-8-1995, NMR SY6388/5 (15344/10) (Aerial Photograph). SDO11890.

<9> 4-8-1995, NMR SY6488/3 (15372/30) (Aerial Photograph). SDO11891.

<10> Wessex Archaeology, 2011, South Dorset Ridgeway Barrow Survey 2010 (Unpublished document). SDO12407.

<11> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<12> National Record of the Historic Environment, 452451 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 26 2023 1:02PM