Monument record MDO7422 - Bowl barrow on Corfe Common, Corfe Castle

One of a group of four potential Bronze Age round barrows situated on Corfe Common. A circular mound is visible as a low earthwork at this location on aerial photographs taken in 1945.

'B' Surveyed at SY 97258111 is a possible bowl barrow with a diameter of 12.0m. and a height of 0.7m. It has no ditch or berm and bears no trace of mutilation. Near a lynchet, and is turf covered. <1>

'B' (196)-SY 97268113. Bowl barrow, 25ft diameter and 2ft high. <3>

Two earthern round barrows, both spread by the plough, stand in a prominent position in an area of undulating arable fields. … B. SY 97258111. This low mound is 12.0m in diameter with a maximum height of 0.9m; the west side has been damaged by the plough. There is no evidence of stone content nor enclosing ditches with either barrow. The low ploughed-down lynchet extends from the eastern side of barrow 'B' for 50.0m before it is lost under an overgrown hedge. Surveyed at 1:2500. <5>

Two bronze age bowl barrows survive on a highpoint in an area which was ploughed and cultivated in World War II. Both mounds appear to be constructed over lynchets and neither exhibits traces of an enclosing ditch. Both mounds are spread and are now under permanent pasture. … SY97258112 A spread bowl barrow 14m in diameter and up to 1.2m high. Both mounds appear to be constructed on SW-facing lynchets. <6>

One of a group of four potential Bronze Age round barrows situated on Corfe Common, Corfe Castle (MDO7422 & MDO31514-16). A circular mound is visible as a low earthwork at this location on aerial photographs taken in 1945 <8>, measuring approximately 13.5m in diameter. This feature was digitally plotted during the Wild Purbeck mapping project. It is not visible on the most recent Google Earth imagery.

<1> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 09-AUG-52 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

<2> Farrar R A H (ed ), 1959, Two possible barrows and remains of a flint industry near Little Woolgarston, Corfe Common; Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 107-108 (Article in serial). SDO12508.

<2> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1960, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1959, 107-108 (Serial). SDO59.

<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.

‘(196) Bowl (SY 98 SE; 97268113) 25 yds. E.N.E. of (195). Diam. 25 ft., ht. 2 ft.’

<4> Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 43 (Index). SDO147.

'Bowl Barrow. Diam. 7.6m Ht. 0.6m. Situated in a field normally ploughed but under grass. This barrow, visible as a low rise, has been reduced and spread by ploughing. OS SY98SE12. RAF/VAP/1821.2407. 7/7/C.'

<5> Fletcher, Martin, Field investigator's comments MJF, F2 MJF 13-OCT-86 (Unpublished document). SDO17630.

<6> Fletcher, Martin, Field investigator's comments MJF, Field Investigation 20 Dec 2003 (Unpublished document). SDO17630.

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

<8> Royal Air Force, 27-MAR-1945, RAF 106G/LA/200 1062-63 (Aerial Photograph). SDO13675.

<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> National Record of the Historic Environment, 456789 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Mar 16 2023 4:48PM