Scheduled Monuments›England›Wor Barrow and two bowl barrows on Handley Down

Wor Barrow and two bowl barrows on Handley Down

England
List entry 1020066
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1020066
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.98 hectares
Grid reference
SU 01238 17287
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Wor Barrow is a Neolithic long barrow located on Handley Down in Dorset, England. The monument consists of an elongated earthwork characteristic of early Neolithic burial practices, dating to approximately 3500–3000 BC. Adjacent to the long barrow are two Bronze Age bowl barrows, round burial mounds of a later period that represent the continuation of barrow construction practices on this prominent downland location. The grouping of these monuments demonstrates the sustained ritual and funerary use of this landscape across several millennia of prehistory.

Wor Barrow and two bowl barrows on Handley Down is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1020066. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Wor Barrow and two bowl barrows on Handley Down?

Wor Barrow is a Neolithic long barrow located on Handley Down in Dorset, England. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1020066.

Who is responsible for protecting Wor Barrow and two bowl barrows on Handley Down?

Wor Barrow and two bowl barrows on Handley 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 1020066.

What other scheduled monuments are near Wor Barrow and two bowl barrows on Handley Down?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Medieval settlement 750m north west of Knowlton (6.9 km), Group of henge monuments, an associated group of round barrows, a Saxon cemetery, and a Norman church at Knowlton (7.4 km), Round barrow cemetery south of New Barn Farm, associated with the Knowlton Circles (7.7 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Wor Barrow and two bowl barrows on Handley Down

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Wor Barrow and two bowl barrows on Handley 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.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Medieval settlement 750m north west of Knowlton
6.9 km
Group of henge monuments, an associated group of round barrows, a Saxon cemetery, and a Norman church at Knowlton
7.4 km
Round barrow cemetery south of New Barn Farm, associated with the Knowlton Circles
7.7 km
Lengths of Roman road in Norwood Coppice and in The Rookery
8.2 km
Bowl barrow 170m north east of the Horton Inn
8.6 km
Round barrow cemetery 400m and 500m south east of Hyde Hill Plantation
9.2 km
Round barrow cemetery in Hyde Hill Plantation
9.2 km
Bowl barrow 240m north east of Martin's Farm Bungalow
9.9 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Wor Barrow and two bowl barrows on Handley Down

Wor Barrow and two bowl barrows on Handley Down stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Wor Barrow and two bowl barrows on Handley Down

Old SarumArchaeological site · ~12.3 milesStonehengeArchaeological site · ~16.9 milesCadbury CastleArchaeological site · ~24.2 miles
Domesday entry for Handley, Dorset →
All Scheduled Monuments