Monument record MDO8012 - Bronze Age pond barrow, Ballard Down, Swanage

A possible Bronze Age pond barrow is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs on Ballard Down. The barrow is the northernmost of a group of three round barrows situated on Ballard Down. The barrow survives as an earthwork comprising a circular depression 10 metres in diameter and 0.5 metres deep, surrounded by an outer bank one metre wide and 0.2 metres high. In 1967 finds including pottery, burnt bone and shale were recovered from the area of the outer bank by E E Harrison. The finds are held in the Dorset Museum.

SZ 03988132. A pond barrow with enclosed area of 33 feet in diameter by 2 1/2 feet deep and outer bank 12 feet wide x 1 foot high. Excavated by J H Austen in 1857 but with no result. <2-4> <6>

Grass covered pond barrow consisting of a circular hollow 11.5 metres in diameter and 1.2 metres deep. <5>

Pond barrow, recently ploughed. Pieces of pottery, burnt bone and shale were picked up from the surface in the southeast sector of the barrow by E.E. Harrison in 1967. From their position they appeared to have come from the bank of the barrrow. <7>

SZ 03988133. A circular depression, 33 feet across and 3 feet deep with an irregular bank is more likely to be a pond than a pond barrow (but see Authority 7). <8>

No change to Authority 8 but National Grid Reference should read - SZ 03988132; Barrow on grassland, in good condition, 117m OD.Surveyed at 1:2500. <10>

One of a group of three round barrows situated on Ballard Down. The pond barrow is the northern most barrow of the three and survives as a circular depression 10 metres in diameter and 0.5 metres deep, surrounded by an outer bank one metre wide and 0.2 metres high. In 1967 finds including pottery, burnt bone and shale were recovered from the area of the outer bank by E E Harrison. The finds are held in the Dorset Museum. <12>

A possible Bronze Age pond barrow is visible as an earthwork on aerial photographs <13> on Ballard Down. The barrow is the northernmost of a group of three (see linked records). The barrow is formed of a low mound measuring 9 m in diameter, surrounded by a narrow ditch and a bank, measuring up to 1.5 m in width. This site was digitally plotted during the South West Rapid Coastal Zone Assessment Survey (Dorset).

<1> Ordnance Survey, Various, Ordnance Survey Map 6in. Prov. Ed (Map). SWX2257.

(Centred SZ 039813) Tumuli (NR) (three shown) (1)

<2> Austen, J H, 1856-7, Purbeck Papers (1856-7), 163 (Monograph). SWX2801.

<3> Davis, Joseph Barnard, 1865, Crania Britannica: Delineations and Descriptions of the Skulls of the Aboriginal and Early Inhabitants of the British Islands, 45 (Monograph). SWX8389.

<4> Warne, C, 1866, The Celtic Tumuli of Dorset (1866) (Monograph). SWX8166.

<5> Rigg, J, Field Investigators Comments JR, F1 JR 01-SEP-1952 (Unpublished document). SWX1255.

<6> Grinsell, L V, 1959, Dorset Barrows, 133, 172 (Monograph). SDO132.

<7> Harris, E E, 1967, Finds from Barrows on Ballard Down, Swanage, 140 (Article in serial). SWX3417.

Pond Barrow
This barrow had recently been ploughed. Pieces of pottery, burnt bone and shale were picked up from surface in the SE sector of the barrow. From their position they appeared to have come from the bank of the barrow.

<8> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 3, 453 (Monograph). SDO150.

Austen opened three in both 1851 and 1857; these included a circular depression, 20 yds. N.E. of (86) at 03988133, 33 ft. across and 3 ft. deep with an irregular bank, in which he found nothing and which is more likely to be a pond than a pond barrow.

<9> Papworth, M D J, Trust for Wessex Archaeology, 1983, Isle of Purbeck Survey, IOP 708 (Index). SDO147.

The monument (?) has been cleared of gorse and is in permanent pasture when visited in Feb. 1985.
7/7/E TWA/IOP/1985

<10> Wardale, C F, Various, Field Investigators Comments CFW, F2 CFW 16-AUG-1985 (Unpublished document). SWX2704.

<11> Papworth, M, 1992, Whitecliff Farm, Purbeck, Dorset, Wessex Region, 14 (Unpublished document). SWX1387.

A probable pond barrow, now visible as a slight depression 10m dia. and 0.2m deep with no visible bank but described by Grinsell (1959 p133) before ploughing as an enclosed area 10m dia. And 0.7m deep with a surrounding bank 3.6m wide and 0.3m high. The site was partially examined by Austin (1869 p163) who records “The pond barrow was excavated at the centre to the native chalk, but nothing was discovered to induce further exploration”. However, the field was ploughed in 1967 (Calkin p140) and pieces of pottery, burnt bone and shale were picked up from the south-east sector of the barrow. From their position they appeared to come from the bank of the barrow. Unfortunately, Calkin does not describe the pottery. This site may be alluded to in the names Pondfield Cliff and Pondfield Way shown on Woodward’s map (1775). Pondfield Way follows the field boundary immediately to the east of this site. If this is a pond barrow it is the only one known on the Estate and consequently an important site.

<12> English Heritage, Scheduled Monument Notification, 25-Jun-01 (Scheduling record). SDO17381.

<13> National Monuments Record, 18-NOV-2006, SZ 0481/28-34 NMR/24138/09-16 (Aerial Photograph). SDO12810.

<14> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, Externally held archive: RCH01/093 RCHME Inventory: Dorset II (South-East) (Unpublished document). SDO17434.

<15> National Record of the Historic Environment, 1456549 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

SZ 03988132. A pond barrow with enclosed area of 33 feet in diameter by 2 1/2 feet deep and outer bank 12 feet wide x 1 foot high. Excavated by J.H. Austen in 1857 but with no result. (2-5)

Grass covered pond barrow consisting of a circular hollow 11.5 metres in diameter and 1.2 metres deep. (6)

Pond barrow, recently ploughed. Pieces of pottery, burnt bone and shale were picked up from the surface in the southeast sector of the barrow by E.E. Harrison in 1967. From their position they appeared to have come from the bank of the barrrow. (7)

SZ 03988133. A circular depression, 33 feet across and 3 feet deep with an irregular bank is more likely to be a pond than a pond barrow (but see Authority 7). (8)

No change to Authority 8 but National Grid Reference should read - SZ 03988132; Barrow on grassland, in good condition, 117m OD. Surveyed at 1:2500. (9)

One of a group of three round barrows situated on Ballard Down. The pond barrow is the northern most barrow of the three and survives as a circular depression 10 metres in diameter and 0.5 metres deep, surrounded by an outer bank one metre wide and 0.2 metres high. In 1967 finds including pottery, burnt bone and shale were recovered from the area of the outer bank by E.E Harrison. The finds are held in the Dorset Museum. (10)

Record last edited

Apr 14 2023 6:25PM