Monument record MDO7417 - 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).

A plain tripartite 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. 1892.9-1.238. <1>

'B'-SY 96328089. Bowl (?) barrow, 29ft diameter and 2 1/2ft high. Turf-covered. <2>

SY 962809. Group of round barrows on Corfe Common. Scheduled. <4>

These barrows. 'A': SY 96128090 'B': SY 96318089 are in good condition from Auth 2, on heathland, 50m OD. No change. Surveyed at 1:2500. <6>

Two bowl barrows … SY96318088 8.5m by 9.7m across and 0.6m high. No evidence of disturbance to the rounded mound and no obvious ditch. <8>

A circular mound, approximately 10m in diameter, is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs of Corfe Common, Corfe Castle <9>. 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). This feature was digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck mapping project.

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1960, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1959, 118 (Serial). SDO59.

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

('A'-SY 96138090, 'B'-SY 96328089) Tumulus (NR) (twice)

<3> 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. … (191) Bowl (?) (96328089) 200 yds. E. of (190). Diam. 29 ft., ht. 2½ ft. Turf-covered.’

<4> Department of the Environment, 1978, Department of the Environment (IAM) Ancient Monuments of England (Vol 2), 62 (Monograph). SWX1687.

<5> Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 37 (Index). SDO147.

‘Bowl Barrow. Diam. 8.8m and Ht. 0.8m. Situated on heathland but covered in short grass, damage limited to slight uneveness and two rabbit scrapes. OS SY98SE17. 1/1/A.’

<6> Wardale, C F, Various, Field Investigators Comments CFW, F1 CFW 10-SEP-85 (Unpublished document). SWX2704.

<7> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

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 Fletcher, Martin, Field investigator's comments MJF, 20-DEC-2003 (Unpublished document).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

<9> Pan Government Agreement, 2008, PGA (Aerial Photograph). SDO13137.

<10> National Record of the Historic Environment, 456802 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Oct 11 2024 2:48PM