Oakley Down Barrow Cemetery is a group of

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

round barrows A round barrow is a type of tumulus and is one of the most common types of archaeological monuments. Although concentrated in Europe, they are found in many parts of the world, probably because of their simple construction and universal purpose. ...

Cranborne Chase Cranborne Chase () is an area of central southern England, straddling the counties Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire. It is part of the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The area is dominated by, ...

, about east of the village of

Sixpenny Handley Sixpenny Handley or Handley is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Sixpenny Handley and Pentridge, in north east Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase north east of Blandford Forum. In the 2011 census the parish ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, England. It is a

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

Description

There are many prehistoric remains on Cranborne Chase from the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age. The presence of

Wor Barrow Wor Barrow is a Neolithic long barrow on Cranborne Chase, about east of Sixpenny Handley in Dorset, England. It is a scheduled monument. Its excavation by Augustus Pitt Rivers in 1893–1894 has been described as "an important event in the study ...

, a Neolithic long barrow nearby to the west, may have been influential in the construction of the Oakley Down cemetery. There are about 30 barrows. Most of them are in the angle between the

A354 road The A354 is a primary route in England which runs from Salisbury in Wiltshire to Easton on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, a total distance of . From Salisbury the road crosses Cranborne Chase. At Woodyates the road follows the route of Ackl ...

and the

Ackling Dyke Ackling Dyke is a section of Roman roads, Roman road in England which runs for southwest from Old Sarum (''Sorviodunum'') to the hill fort at Badbury Rings (''Vindocladia''). Part of the road on Oakley Down has been scheduled as an ancient monu ...

Roman road. The main group includes

bowl barrow A bowl barrow is a type of burial mound or tumulus. A barrow is a mound of earth used to cover a tomb. The bowl barrow gets its name from its resemblance to an upturned bowl. Related terms include ''cairn circle'', ''cairn ring'', ''howe'', ''ker ...

s of diameter and height ; five or six

disc barrow A disc barrow is a type of tumulus or round barrow, a variety of fancy barrow identified in English Heritage's Monument Class Descriptions. A disc barrow comprises a circular or oval-shaped flat platform, defined by a continuous earthen bank an ...

s of diameter ; also two oval barrows and a

bell barrow A bell barrow, sometimes referred to as a Wessex type barrow, campanulate form barrow, or a bermed barrow, is a type of tumulus identified as such by both John Aubrey and William Stukeley. In the United Kingdom, they take the form of a circula ...

.Richard Wainwright. ''A Guide to the Prehistoric Remains in Britain. Volume 1: South and East''. Constable, 1979. Pages 125–127. There is a smaller group to the north, of four bowl barrows and a bell barrow.

Excavation

Many of the barrows were excavated in the early 19th century by

Sir Richard Colt Hoare Sir Richard Colt Hoare, 2nd Baronet (9 December 1758 – 19 May 1838) was an English antiquarian, archaeologist, artist, and traveller of the 18th and 19th centuries, the first major figure in the detailed study of the history of his home count ...

and

William Cunnington William Cunnington FSA (1754 – 31 December 1810) was an English antiquarian and archaeologist. Archaeological investigations Cunnington was a self-educated merchant, who developed an interest in the rich archaeological landscape around ...

; the barrows investigated can be identified from Hoare's numbered plan.'Wimborne St. Giles', in ''An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, Volume 5, East'' (London, 1975), pp. 92-104
British History Online. Retrieved 5 February 2021. The barrows contained primary and secondary inhumations, and primary and secondary cremations in

urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape ...

s and

cist In archeology, a cist (; also kist ; ultimately from ; cognate to ) or cist grave is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. In some ways, it is similar to the deeper shaft tomb. Examples occur ac ...

s. Grave goods included beads of

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...

, glass and

faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white Ceramic glaze, pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an stannous oxide, oxide of tin to the Slip (c ...

, and bronze daggers. Some of the finds were later placed in

Devizes Museum The Wiltshire Museum, formerly known as Wiltshire Heritage Museum and Devizes Museum, is a museum, archive and library and art gallery established in 1874 in Devizes, Wiltshire, England. The museum was created and is run by the Wiltshire Archa ...

. A partial excavation in 1970 of one bowl barrow revealed a

posthole This page is a glossary of archaeology, the study of the human past from material remains. A B C D E F ...

close to its edge, near a pit containing cremated bone and ash; this may have been a support for a

cremation pyre A pyre (; ), also known as a funeral pyre, is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite or execution. As a form of cremation, a body is placed upon or under the pyre, which is then set on fire. In discussi ...

References

{{reflist Barrows in England Scheduled monuments in Dorset Archaeological sites in Dorset