Monument record MDO7415 - Bronze Age bowl barrow, Corfe Common, Corfe Castle

A circular mound is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs of Corfe Common, Corfe Castle. It is considered likely to be the remains of a Bronze Age round barrow. It is one on a group of several round barrows located dispersed across the common (MDO7412-19 & MDO7540).

'D'-(189)-SY95958093. Bowl (?) barrow, 46ft diameter and 4 1/2ft high. Disturbed on top. <1> <4>

A plain tripalite urn in the British Museum collection has been identified as coming from one of these barrows or from the adjacent barrow groups. (SY 98 SE 17 or SY 98 SE 47) Brit Mus Acc. No. 1982.9-1.238. <2>

SY 962809. Group of round barrows on Corfe Common. Scheduled. <5>

Four well preserved bowl barrows: … SY95948092 16.2m in diameter and 1.4m high. Disturbed top and suggestions of spoil on the Sw side. There are traces of a ditch. A linear earthen bank, 0.3m high, crosses the southern fringe of the mound. <8>

A circular mound, approximately 13.8m in diameter, is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs of Corfe Common, Corfe Castle <10-11>. It is considered likely to be the remains of a Bronze Age round barrow. A hollow in its centre may be the result of antiquarian excavation. It is one on a group of several round barrows located dispersed across the common (MDO7412-19 & MDO7540). This feature was digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck mapping project.

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1957, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1956, 76 (Serial). SDO56.

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1960, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1959, 118 (Serial). SDO59.

<3> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

(Centred SY 959809) Tumuli (NR)

<4> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 443 (Monograph). SDO150.

‘Corfe Common Group (SY 98 SE; Fig. p. 97). Eight barrows straggle along the spine of a ridge about 150 ft. above O.D. All but (191) are bracken-covered. LVG 10a-c, between (192) and (193), are unidentifiable. … (189) Bowl (?) (95958093) 50 yds. N.E. of (188). Diam. 46 ft., ht. 4½ ft. Disturbed on top.’

<5> Department of the Environment, 1978, Department of the Environment (IAM) Ancient Monuments of England (Vol 2), 62 (Monograph). SWX1687.

<6> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<7> Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 35 (Index). SDO147.

‘Probable bowl barrow. Diameter 14.0m and height 1.4m. Situated on heathland a prominent rise covered with grass with bracken and gorse. The top has been flattened to the north, with a slight hollow, apparently the result of antiquarian excavation. Land used for rough grazing for horses and cattle. OSSY98SE16A. 1/2/B.’

<8> Fletcher, Martin, Field investigator's comments MJF, Field Investigation 20-DEC-2003 (Unpublished document). SDO17630.

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, AF00137 (Index). SDO14738.

Corfe Common, Dorset. A large scale archaeological survey and investigation of Corfe Common was commissioned by the National Trust to provide detailed information to aid future management and conservation decisions. The common is a unique landscape, an SSSI entirely enclosed by cultivated land, which incorporates an impressive variety of relatively undisturbed archaeological features. The analytical investigation was undertaken by staff from the English Heritage Exeter Office in the Spring of 2003.Background AutoCAD files stored on CD03001: 'Plan.dwg' and '1to10000plan.dwg'.

<10> Royal Air Force, 18-FEB-1970, RAF 58/0254 0022 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13680.

<11> Pan Government Agreement, 2008, PGA (Aerial Photograph). SDO13137.

<12> National Record of the Historic Environment, 456801 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 16 2023 12:13PM