Scheduled Monuments›England›Round barrows on Sheep Down

Round barrows on Sheep Down

England
List entry 1003306
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1003306
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.56 hectares
Grid reference
SY 60861 89063, SY 60712 89040, SY 60746 89022, SY 61283 88966, SY 60982 88934, SY 60684 88930, SY 60708 88610
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Round barrows on Sheep Down is a Bronze Age funerary monument complex located in Dorset. The site comprises multiple earthen mounds constructed during the Bronze Age, reflecting the burial practices and ritual landscape of prehistoric communities in the region. These barrows represent an important archaeological resource for understanding settlement patterns and mortuary customs in southern England during the second millennium before the present. The monument is protected as a scheduled ancient monument and contributes significantly to the archaeological heritage of the Dorset landscape.

Round barrows on Sheep Down is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1003306. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Round barrows on Sheep Down?

Round barrows on Sheep Down is a Bronze Age funerary monument complex located in Dorset. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1003306.

Who is responsible for protecting Round barrows on Sheep Down?

Round barrows on Sheep Down 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 1003306.

What other scheduled monuments are near Round barrows on Sheep Down?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Two bowl barrows 720m south east of Friar Waddon House (4.9 km), Two fishponds in Oddens Wood (5.2 km), St Peter's Abbey (5.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Round barrows on Sheep Down

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Round barrows on Sheep Down'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 Round barrows on Sheep Down report
Or see a real report first
Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Two bowl barrows 720m south east of Friar Waddon House
4.9 km
Two fishponds in Oddens Wood
5.2 km
St Peter's Abbey
5.3 km
St Catherine's Chapel, field system and quarries at Chapel Hill
5.7 km
Cross-ridge dyke on Windsbatch
5.9 km
Round barrow 250yds (230m) S of Chapel Coppice
6.1 km
Duck decoy at Abbotsbury Swannery, 630m SSW of Horsepool Farm
6.1 km
Two bowl barrows immediately south of Bayard Dairy
6.3 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Round barrows on Sheep Down

Round barrows on Sheep Down stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Round barrows on Sheep Down

Maiden CastleArchaeological site · ~3.5 milesDorchesterRoman town · ~5.1 milesIlchesterRoman town · ~21.7 milesCadbury CastleArchaeological site · ~22.5 milesSiege of Maiden CastleBattle (43) · ~3.5 miles
Domesday entry for Winterbourne, Dorset →
All Scheduled Monuments