This is a late prehistoric small enclosure. It is about 100 metres south of Sheep Down long barrow. On the western and eastern sides it consists of a single bank and outer ditch. The northern and southern ends are double banks with a ditch between them.
The site measures 45 metres along the east/west sides and 25 mtres along the north/south ends. The banks are 3.5 metres across 0.5 metres high. The surrounding ditch is ditch is 4 metres wide and 0.5 metres deep.
This was once thought to be roman, but as it does not conform in shape and size to known roman fortlets or signal stations, finds have now been found which show it's earliest origins to be late bronze age.
The site was in use for many hundreds of years, if the pottery evidence from the enclosure are taken as evidence. These sites are usually associated with field systems and several exist within a short distance.
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Another visit to this site to find three more barrows. These are all to the west of the two in my original posting. The central pair are about 50 feet apart, the eastern one has been savagely "excavated", probably in the 19th century. The second of the pair is in much better condition. Both are covered in low scrub, but appear to have been cleared of thick vegetation recently, I suspect I have walked straight by them in the past.
The next two in the group are a bell type about 100m west of the central pair. The next barrow is a bowl type with an outer ditch and bank, difficult to see as it is covered in dense foliage.
The fifth barrow is the most westerly of the group and is just inside the heathland / forested area of the ridge on which the cemetery is sited. It is covered in youngish beech trees and does not appears to have been dug up in the past.
Athough most of the site is now tree and gorse covered these barrows would have been in clear sight from barrows to the north. These are Double barrow and a pair at Tolpuddle ball which are hidden in dense undergrowth.
There are at least another 3 barrows to be found in this group, inclubing a bell type and a bowl with an outer bank.
All these barrows are now surrounded by a ring of posts with chamfered tops with a carved M on the angle, these appear to be placed by the forestry commission to protect the monuments. I have also seen this at the nearby Yon barrow in Wareham forest.
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This bell barrow is south of the extended cemetery on Waterston ridge. I have made it a seperate entry because it is a good example of the comparatively rare bell type of round barrow. Of the 1800 or so barrows in Dorset only 70 or so are of this type.
This barrow is in pretty good condition, particularly in comparison with most of the others in the nearby group. The farmer has deliberately ploughed around the monument , thus helping to preserve it. It is 20metres in diameter, 2.5 in height, has a berm of 2.5 metres in width and a 4 metre wide ditch, part of which has been lost to the plough.
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This strung out barrow cemetery sits on and around a ridge of hills north-west of Dorchester. It is neatly split into east and west by the B3143 road to the Piddle valley to the north. Of the 8 or so barrows in the group the best preserved is Grinsell's Puddletown 13 in the western part of the cemetery. Most of the rest in Grinsell's book Dorset Barrows have been very much reduced by ploughing, the book having been published in the 1950's.
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A pair of round barrows to the south of the Ox Drove. Both are bowl types, are low in height and appear to have been excavated at some time. The pair of barrows on Trow down are about 1/2 a mile to the west and Winklebury hillfort is another mile further.
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Two round barrows north of the Ox Drove, Winklebury hillfort is about a mile to the west of these mounds.
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A return visit to this site, not so peaceful this time as the army were playing war very close by. This time I was able to get onto part of the hill where the barrows are. I could only get photos of the northern three, they appear to be in good condition although low and covered in bracken.
It's an odd site this with, what appear to be two sets of barrows on different levels but well worth a visit for it's oddness and peacefulness - just don't go on a thursday!
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This barrow took me some time to find, three trips in all. It is in Grinsell's Dorset barrows where it is described as "large", suggesting he couldn't find it either. I'm not surprised as the barrow is in a large plantation of conifers and appears to have been cleared fairly recently.
It has an external ditch about 2 metres wide and the vestiges of a bank. There were several badger setts showing recent footprints on the north side. The forestry commission have marked the site by placing angle topped wooden posts at the four cardinal points, I assume this is a protective measure.
M.A.G.I.C. gives its dimensions as 15m in diameter by 2.45m in height and say it is built from turf,earth and sand.
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This is a barrow cemetary on the northern edge of the New Forest. Access is easy as a large layby on the busy A31 gives direct access. Also to the north of the site is a large car park, one of many provided by the New Forest countrypark.
The barrows are in some of the worst condition I have ever seen. This contrasts with the entries on M.A.G.I.C. and may well mean that I missed some small ones that haven't been damaged. The four pictured have all been robbed or very poorly excavated. The largest on the site has a large crater in the centre of it and is the least damaged!
The small, low barrows all had large cross shaped trenches across them and look ok from a distance, the damage only becomes really apparent up close.
Having said all that, the site is worth visiting and had I had more time I would have visited the hillfort in the forest nearby, Castle Piece.
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This bowl barrow sits on the floor of the river valley to the south west of Cold Kitchen hill. The barrow is 20 metres in diameter by 3.4 metres in height. The river Wylye flows past the site.
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A rare saucer type round barrow to the east of the long barrow. These low barrows are very susceptible to any kind of agricultural activities especially ploughing and they don't survive well.
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These banks and ditches are linear boundaries on Biddcombe down and Whitepits down. The earthworks run for 2 km along the southern slopes of the hill on which Cold kitchen long barrow sits.
There is some speculation as to its purpose and it is possibly the political boundary between the Durotriges and the Belgae. They are not large enough to be of any military purpose, unlike Bokerley dyke which performs the same purpose in Hampshire. Also it is sited half way up a steep hill.
At its deepest it is 3 feet deep and 15 feet wide. There are gaps in the dyke where it crosses a valley and where modern tracks cross it.
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This is a substantial monument, being 230 feet long, 72 feet wide and 12 feet in height. In addition the side ditches are still over 30 feet wide by 4 feet deep. It is situated just below the crest of Cold Kitchen hill facing north and overlooking the Wylye valley. The siting of the barrow is interesting as it sits in a fold of the hill and can,t be seen until you're very close to it.
The barrow is orientated NW-SE and is rectangular in plan. It shows no signs of ever having been excavated which must be quite unusual.
It's fairly easy to get to, but the hill is very steep and parking is limited in the village of Kingston Deverill.
It appears in an Anglo-Saxon charter as Lang Beorh and the name Cold Kitchen apparently alludes to a celtic name meaning hill of the wizard.
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This bowl barrow sits on top of a hill rising out of the local heathland. It is about 1/2 a mile from Bull barrow and is 22 metres in diameter and about 1 1/2 metres in height.
The barrow is covered in vegetation but I did manage to walk up it. The centre of the barrow has a large rectangular depression in it. Any surrounding ditch which may have existed has now become infilled and cannot be seen.
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Not to be confused with the other barrow on Bulbarrow hill near Rawlsbury hillfort, this heathland barrow is near the small village of Holt. It is in reasonable condition and is 16 metres in diameter and about 1 1/2 metres in height. Around the north west edge is what remains of a 2 metre wide ditch.
It appears to have been opened at some point as the top is flat and has a slight dip in the middle. Two flint scrapers have been found where erosion has affected the mound.
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This is a medium sized bowl barrow, 22metres in diameter and 2 metres high. It is to the north of both Round Pound and the Wardstone barrow and lies just below the crest of the hill. It overlooks nearby barrow cemeteries on Winfrith heath rather than the southern hillforts near Lulworth. I assume it used to have bushes or shrubs on it, hence the name, but now it is clean of all vegetation and is in good condition. The farmer or land owner has surrounded the barrow with thick wooden posts in order to protect it from plough damage.
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This barrow lies on the crest of a hill a few hundred metres from the coast. It's a bit scruffy and covered in nettles and brambles. It is 15 metres in diameter and 1 1/2 metres in height.
It was excavated in1867 and a cremation in an upright late Bronze Age urn with a flat stone on top of it was found, but has since sadly been destroyed in a fire.
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I don't know a lot about this site, magic says the only dateable object found was a piece of Iron Age pottery. So I have to assume it's from that time and is some sort of enclosure / animal pen, whatever it is it's quite a substantial earthwork. The embankmet is built of chalk and turf and is 2 metres in height. The maximum distance between banks is 14 metres and encloses an area of about 0.6 of a hectare.
Close to several barrows, you can see Hambury Tout, Bindon Hill and Flowers Barrow from here. It's on the coast path and can be walked to from a free National Trust car park at Ringstead.
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Visited these and the nearby barrows and stone circle, and unless I'm particularly blind at the moment I couldn't see the broken stones. I may just have missed them or have they been removed or taken away for repair?
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I found these barrows while walking back from Tregeseal circle in the pouring rain. I had seen them marked on the map but that doesn't mean you'll find them so this was a bonus. I found 4 distinct barrows of varying sizes all to the north of the stone circle and east of the holed stones.
To the north of this site across the road are Chun Quoit and castle and Boswens Menhir.
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Always been interested in old stuff and making sure it stays in good nick.
I grew up within a hundred yards or so of Pounbury hillfort and within a mile of Maiden castle and have long wondered about the peoples who built these and the many other sites which proliferate in Dorset. My special interest is in the many barrows of all kinds in the area.
Have recently moved near to Weymouth and am lucky enough to be able to see barrows, a cross ridge dyke and an ancient trackway from my back garden.
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