Scheduled Monuments›England›Earthworks on Houghton South Down, including group of three round barrows

Earthworks on Houghton South Down, including group of three round barrows

England
List entry 1002440
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1002440
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
8.37 hectares
Grid reference
ST 80931 03702
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Earthworks on Houghton South Down is a Bronze Age funerary monument complex located in Dorset, England. The site comprises a group of three round barrows, burial mounds typical of the Bronze Age period, which would have served as communal or elite burial repositories. The earthworks remain visible as low topographical features across the downland landscape, representing evidence of prehistoric settlement patterns and mortuary practice in the region. As a scheduled ancient monument, the site retains archaeological significance for understanding Bronze Age funerary traditions and land use across Wessex.

Earthworks on Houghton South Down, including group of three round barrows is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002440. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Earthworks on Houghton South Down, including group of three round barrows?

Earthworks on Houghton South Down is a Bronze Age funerary monument complex located in Dorset, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002440.

Who is responsible for protecting Earthworks on Houghton South Down, including group of three round barrows?

Earthworks on Houghton South Down, including group of three round barrows is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1002440.

What other scheduled monuments are near Earthworks on Houghton South Down, including group of three round barrows?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Roman road W of Ashley Barn (8.4 km), Bowl barrow in Piddle Wood, 530m north east of Gate Barn (9.2 km), The Double Barrow, a bowl barrow in Kite Hill Plantation 250m south east of Roger's Hill Cottages (9.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Earthworks on Houghton South Down, including group of three round barrows

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Earthworks on Houghton South Down, including group of three round barrows's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Earthworks on Houghton South Down, including group of three round barrows report
Or see a real report first
Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Roman road W of Ashley Barn
8.4 km
Bowl barrow in Piddle Wood, 530m north east of Gate Barn
9.2 km
The Double Barrow, a bowl barrow in Kite Hill Plantation 250m south east of Roger's Hill Cottages
9.3 km
Two bowl barrows both 350m north east of Spring Garden Barn
9.7 km
Bowl barrow 250m north of Oak Cottage
9.8 km
Manorial settlement at Court Farm
9.9 km
Bowl barrow 210m west of Oak Cottage
10 km
Group of six bowl barrows, forming a round barrow cemetery on Black Hill
10 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Earthworks on Houghton South Down, including group of three round barrows

Earthworks on Houghton South Down, including group of three round barrows stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Earthworks on Houghton South Down, including group of three round barrows

DorchesterRoman town · ~10.9 milesMaiden CastleArchaeological site · ~12.9 milesCadbury CastleArchaeological site · ~17.4 milesIlchesterRoman town · ~21.4 milesSiege of Maiden CastleBattle (43) · ~12.9 miles
Domesday entry for Winterborne, Dorset →
All Scheduled Monuments