Registered Charity No. 105565 NEWSLETTER 139 October 2015 Registered Charity No. 1055654

Boscawen-un Circle, St Buryan. Painting copyright by Millie Holman. 2014

A Reinterpretation of the Rock Art at Boscawen-ûn Stone Circle: Thomas Goskar FSA

In 1986 Ian Cooke first recorded, on the north-east side of the central stone at Boscawen-ûn stone circle, the presence of a pair of carvings interpreted as representations of stone axes. This remarkable discovery is relatively obscure and beyond the initial plans to record their location, and beyond Peter Herring’s excellent report in 2000, little research has been undertaken.

In early July 2015 the author was kindly taken to Boscawen-ûn by Adrian Rodda and shown the carvings. During this visit the central stone was recorded using photogrammetry, a technique which uses photographs to create a highly detailed 3D surface model.

Close analysis of the resulting 3D model of the central stone revealed the carvings clearly. The model was straightened so that they could be inspected more closely. Surface colour was removed and digital techniques were employed to accentuate any surface features. The results were surprising.

Fig1.Depth Image of the NE (inner leaning face) of the central stone. Fig 2(Right)). Accessibility shaded image.

The carvings appear to represent not two stone axes but a pair of feet, soles outwards, carved in low relief. A row of “toes” can be discerned, especially on the right- hand foot. They bear a striking resemblance, albeit weathered and on coarse Land’s End granite, to those recorded at Dolmen du Petit-Mont at Arzon in Brittany. Barbara Bender noted in 1986 that the stone bearing the feet motif had disappeared. Presumably it was removed or destroyed in WW2. However, the author has discovered a photograph in Pequart & Le Rouzic’s 1927 Corpus des Signes Graves des Monuments Megalithiques du Morbihan, which is reproduced here. The feet are quite similar in appearance, albeit slightly smaller at 230mm (ours are about 450mm long)

Fig 3. Plate 77 from Pequart & Le Rouzic 1927, showing the twin feet motif on stone 8 at Dolmen du Petit-Mont.

This is not the only surprise at Boscawen-un. The data has revealed about 500mm above the feet a pair of circular features, also in low relief, which appear very similar to carvings interpreted as breasts on some allee- couvertes in Brittany (Tresse, Prajou-Menhir, etc.)

Along with the presence of the possible cromlech noted by Dr Borlase, perhaps we could consider that the stone circle was, for reasons unknown, constructed with reused stone from a much larger chambered tomb which incorporated decorated stones in the Breton style. Those symbols may have had potent significance, enough to position them in the centre of a new monument. Reuse of decorated and standing stones is known in Brittany (see Scarre 2011, p 147). Many of the inner faces of the stones at Boscawen-un are flat – perhaps once lining a small passage or chamber.

More research is in progress and a more detailed article is in preparation.

References: Barbara Bender with Robert Caillaud. The Archaeology of Brittany, Normandy and the Channel Islands: An introduction and Guide. London: Faber and Faber, 1986.

Peter Herring. Boscawen, St Buryan, Cornwall: archaeological assessment. Truro: Cornwall County Council, 2000.

Martha et Saint-Just Péquart & Zacharie Le Rouzic. Corpus des Signes Gravés des Monuments Mégalithiques du Morbihan. Paris A. Picard & Berger-Levrault, 1927.

Chris Scarre. Landscapes of Neolithic Brittany. OUP. 2011.

THE PRESIDENT’S PIECE – Nick Johnson

By way of introduction, I joined the Society in 1975. It was a time of great change in the archaeological world, with professional archaeological units being formed across the country. Cornwall and Devon were early adopters. I was appointed Rural Survey Officer with the Cornwall Committee for Rescue Archaeology (CCRA). This became the Cornwall Archaeological Unit and later the Historic Environment Service (Cornwall Council). What many Members may not know is that it was Cornwall Archaeological Society that sponsored CCRA in the first place. The Society had been a pioneer of Parish Checklists, which were in effect embryo Historic Environment Records. Professor Charles Thomas (former President of CAS) was chair of CCRA, and Peter Trudgian (CAS Hon Treasurer) its Vice-Chairman, and Mary Irwin (CAS Hon Sec) its Hon Secretary. The Society has been the midwife and long term friend and ally of the professional archaeological service, which has served Cornwall and Scilly since then.

It seems an uncomfortable coincidence therefore that 40 years on, at the start of my Presidency, the Society is seeing equally momentous changes in the heritage world. Public sector archaeology is changing dramatically:

 In the face of huge cuts to Cornwall Council budgets, the Historic Environment Service has been chopped up into four separate units and staff numbers drastically reduced: 1) Planning archaeology and historic buildings; 2) World Heritage Site office; 3) Cornwall Archaeological Unit (project consultancy); 4) Historic Environment Strategy with the Historic Environment Record.

 The Royal Cornwall Museum, which looks after the huge majority of archaeological finds in Cornwall, has also suffered a dramatic drop in public funding over the last five years, and like most museums has a chronic storage problem and has not accepted archaeological archives for the last five years.  At the same time the government’s principal heritage advisor has been split into two parts, with the English Heritage Trust retaining the national collection of historic properties, and Historic England continuing the task of advice, grant support, heritage designation and as the keeper of national archaeological records.  Lastly, but by no means least, the Government intends to devolve more responsibility to Cornwall Council for the care of the historic environment as part of a more general devolution package, at a time when the local authority’s heritage advice and information capacity has been reduced by over 75%

This is not a good time to be faced with the urgent need for more housing and a more general loosening up of the planning process that is bound to result in much greater pressure on the historic environment. It seems almost sadistic to mention that in the background lurks the inevitability of sea level rise that will affect our historic coastal towns and villages, and the no less dramatic changes that we are seeing in the countryside as we begin to stumble towards green energy.

How should CAS react to all this? Do we panic or do we “step up to the plate”?.....in reality we probably should do both! As volunteers we can never hope to replace the lost capacity of the Archaeological Planning Advisors and Conservation Officers in County Hall. Despite this there is a lot that CAS can do and over the next few issues of the Newsletter I hope to explore how the Society can help to ensure that most of the changes mentioned above are turned into opportunities for CAS Members to get even more involved in archaeology around the county.

I should finish on a positive note. We must always remember that a massive amount has been achieved over the last 40 years in protecting the archaeological legacy. Cornwall and Scilly now have a very large number and range of designated buildings, monuments and sites.

 Scheduled Monuments: 1,347 Cornwall; 238 Scilly  Listed Buildings: 12,552 Cornwall; 128 Scilly  Conservation Areas: 145 Cornwall (4411 ha); 1 Scilly (1603 ha)  Registered Parks and Gardens; 37 Cornwall (3709 ha); 1 Scilly (30ha)  Registered Battlefields: 4 Cornwall (Civil War) (613 ha)  Designated Wrecks: 8 Cornwall; 4 Scilly  Protected War Grave wrecks: 5 Cornwall  Cornish Mining World Heritage Site that covers (18,222ha, 5.5 % of the county)  Tax- exempt Heritage Land properties: 7 Cornwall

Cornwall and Scilly have the largest number of designated heritage assets in England, and Cornwall Council owns the largest portfolio of designated heritage assets of any local authority. This is both a cultural blessing and a huge responsibility, and one, which CAS can be involved in.

Mick Aston - We were delighted to hear last year that the Society was to receive a legacy from Mick Aston’s estate. Mick joined the Society in 1965 and throughout his illustrious career as Somerset County Archaeologist, extra-mural lecturer, Professor of Archaeology at Bristol, as prolific author, and as the famously tousled stripey- Members of the public were invited to the site to meet the jerseyed Time Team presenter he never lost interest in local diggers, inspect the finds, and try their hand at excavation. archaeological societies and the value of community archaeology. We are now in receipt of a generous benefaction of £8,080.47. After much debate Trustees agreed that the money would be used to match-fund CAS and other organisations’ research and fieldwork projects across Cornwall over the coming years. CBA FESTIVAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY 2015. Tywardreath Priory.

As part of the CBA archaeology week, on Sunday 18 July, Help Find Tywardreath Priory ran an open day. Find Tywardreath Priory is a group of individuals

who are attempting to locate the exact position of the Anna Tyacke, Finds Liaison Officer for the Portable Antiquities Priory, with long term aims of Scheme was on hand to identify visitors’ finds. running a community archaeology project based around the Priory. There was experimental test-pitting.

Tom Goskar hardly had time to draw breath as his presentation on LiDAR was so popular. A display of material, documentary and finds, also attracted a lot of interest. MAG opened up new test pits in the area of the field that had long Many thanks are due to Neill Wood and his student Mike Andow been of interest, containing geophysical anomalies possibly from Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter, Penryn indicative of settlement features. In addition, a trench to the east Campus, who gave up their Sunday to continue their work on the of the fogou was extended where parallel stone walls had been geophysics survey, and explain the details to the audience. Neill identified by an earlier test pit. Although only the tops of the walls has been involved from the outset, and Mike Andow will be doing have so far been located it is likely that this forms an extension to his Masters dissertation on the survey results so far. the main fogou passage. It is hoped that future excavation will reveal the full extent of this feature and help us to understand We estimate that over 200 people turned up during the day, both its relationship with the principal north-south passage and including CBA members. Please keep checking the adjacent ‘earth-cut void’. Excavation of the test pits on the https://www.facebook.com/TywardreathPriory for updates and the west side of the field produced both Iron Age and Bronze Age progress of the project. pottery, possibly derived from features cut into the subsoil. Further work is planned here in order to define the nature of the Report and pictures from Jenny Moore. archaeology.

The Festival of Archaeology 2015 at Boden Around 60 people, young and old(er) visited the site in the July sunshine to have their finds identified and admire the continuing To mark the beginning of the Festival of Archaeology, Members work of MAG members. As always the group is indebted to the of Meneage Archaeology Group (MAG) met at Boden, a Bronze landowner and farmer Chris Hosken for allowing the ongoing Age and Iron Age settlement site near Manaccan on the Lizard. investigation of his land. The site was first investigated as part of a CAU led project in 2003, primarily to excavate a re-discovered fogou, and continued Reports and pictures from James Gossip and Chris Harris. interest in the site inspired formation of the group. St Piran’s Oratory – the skeletal evidence

The exposure of skeletons has been documented at St Piran’s Samples from two burials, 208.1 and 211, were selected for Oratory many times, with rows of skeletons being recorded in radiocarbon dating, and sent to the Scottish Universities 1820, 1835 and 1905. In 1910, during the construction of the Environmental Research Centre. Burial 208.1, the skeleton of a child buried on its side in a flexed position, produced a date protective shell, the skeleton of a (probable) female was revealed, th th apparently holding a child in her arms. More bones were noted by suggesting burial in the 8 or 9 centuries AD. Burial 211, also a th child, appears to have been buried around the same time, but visitors to the site throughout the 20 century, and in 1980 twelve th cist graves were revealed 10-13m away from the Oratory. It was more probably in the 9 century AD. therefore not surprising when clearance of sand during the recent These results are very important as they strongly suggest the re-excavation of St Piran’s Oratory revealed the remains of existence of a place of Christian worship at this time. It is thought several skeletons to the north-west of the surviving concrete likely that the surviving Oratory building is of Norman date (11th or shell. 12th century AD); if this is the case then these burials relate to an In order to create a safe working environment for the team earlier structure, the presence of which has long been suspected. excavating the Oratory it was necessary to record and excavate The dates also suggest the development of the dune system twelve skeletons buried approximately 0.6m (24 inches) below earlier than previously thought, and it is likely that the building ground surface. Bones were carefully recorded in situ in was constructed within a terrace in an already existing dune. It is accordance with guidelines set out by the Chartered Institute for possible that these burials form part of a sequence and that Archaeologists and under licence from the Ministry of Justice. earlier burials are present cut into the sands beneath. Due to the Bagged and labelled bones were then transferred to the lab scarcity of religious structures scientifically dated to the where they were cleaned and analysed by osteo-archaeologist early medieval period these findings are of national Richard Mikulski. The results are presented in a report which significance and help to confirm the early medieval origins of forms part of the excavation archive and a summary of which will a religious centre at the Oratory site. be included in the future publication. On completion of analysis the bones will be re-interred at the site with due care and respect. It is hoped that further archaeological work, including excavation which may reveal additional, perhaps earlier burials, and more With one exception the burials were all aligned east-west in the detailed analysis of the skeletal material which can be used to Christian tradition, with their limbs extended and their heads at provide information on origins, migration and diet, will add the western end of the grave. Unusually, one had been buried in significantly to our knowledge of the early origins of this iconic site a flexed position on an almost north-south alignment, the reasons and the development of the early Church in Cornwall. for which are uncertain. Some of the graves had been marked with upright stones at the head and feet and the bodies are likely to have been wrapped in shrouds before being placed in grave pits dug into the sand.

Of the twelve individuals only two were adults, both female, one aged at least 45 and the other probably aged 20-25. The children were aged 1-5 years, with one early post neonatal aged between 1 and 6 months. The bones of two skeletons exhibited familial traits and appeared to have been buried together, suggesting a close relationship.

James Gossip Cornwall Archaeological Unit

'CAS member and archaeologist Dr Tom Greeves will be offering his popular Discovery Holiday on the Isles of Scilly, 18-25 June 2016. £695 per

person. Visit www.scillydiscoveryholidays.co.uk for information.'

Kresen Kernow Project , Jennie Hancock. content. For the first time it will be possible to consult an 18th century estate atlas, HER survey drawing and 1960s OS map side-by-side in the dedicated reading room. Knowledgeable staff At the beginning of August the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and comprehensive guidance will support new users and suggest announced they were awarding Cornwall Council £11.7m to new possibilities for more experienced researchers. create Kresen Kernow, an inspirational new archive centre for Cornwall.

Based on the former Redruth Brewery site, Kresen Kernow will bring together the Cornwall and Scilly Historic Environment Record (HER), Cornwall Record Office (CRO) and the Cornish Studies Library (CSL). With more than 864m3 of manuscripts, books, plans and photographs and over 2TB of digital data, this will form the world’s largest collection for the study of Cornish history, culture and archaeology. It will safeguard the historic brewery buildings whilst providing exemplary research and learning spaces and purpose-built collection storage areas. An ambitious programme of activities, excellent digital provision and a dynamic volunteer programme will connect new and existing audiences with the rich heritage of Cornwall.

Workrooms will have space for up to 30 staff and volunteers. A fully-equipped preservation suite will enable the cleaning and packaging of many different types of document. Using material from across our collections, coupled with a strategic approach, will see us create, enhance and link more HER records and catalogue descriptions. Supporting members of the Cornish Archive Network and CAS Area Representatives will extend the benefits of Kresen Kernow to heritage across Cornwall.

State-of-the-art strongrooms will maintain the environmental conditions required for long-term preservation. 25 years expansion space will let us take in new records, some of which are currently held in unsuitable conditions, and proactively develop our collections to be more representative of Cornwall.

Digital technology will be embraced to open up our collections to wide-ranging audiences. An inspirational user-friendly website will aid discovery with features including map-based browsing, The ‘Brewing up the Past’ project involved former brewery enhanced catalogues and downloadable learning resources. The workers and local residents exploring the history of the brewery. cutting-edge digitisation suite will produce high-quality copies of Visitors to Kresen Kernow will enter the historic brewhouse to find records including glass negatives and large-scale plans. These welcoming and accessible exhibition, refreshment and meeting will be shared online via our website, social media platforms and areas which showcase original features. Displays will employ the HER. digital technology alongside more traditional interactives to engage diverse audiences with our fantastic collections. Volunteers will be vital to the success of the Kresen Kernow project. Varied and stimulating activities available might include Documents, artefacts and oral histories will tell the story of researching for exhibitions, cataloguing archives and digitising Redruth Brewery whilst another zone will introduce key family and slides for addition to the HER. Flexible opportunities, including local history sources. A changing programme of exhibits on topics off-site and online, will allow people across Cornwall and beyond derived from public consultation will ensure there is always to contribute as much or little time as they wish. something new to see. Upstairs an environmentally-controlled exhibition space will host significant Cornish manuscripts from The Public Realm scheme, which has cleared modern industrial national collections. buildings, secured historic structures and created an accessible public space on the site, should be completed this autumn. One of the two learning spaces has been specifically designed for Construction of Kresen Kernow will begin in spring 2016, with us to excite and engage young people with Cornwall’s heritage phased closures of the current sites starting late 2017. Kresen through school workshops and more informal family learning Kernow is due to open in 2018. events. The second will host activities as varied as archive film shows, creative ArTchive workshops and Monument Watch More information is available on our website training. On-site activities will be augmented by outreach visits, www.cornwall.gov.uk/kresenkernow. To keep up-to-date with touring exhibitions and other events delivered in partnership progress you can Like us on Facebook: venues throughout Cornwall. www.facebook.com/kresenkernow, follow us on Twitter (@kresenkernow) or Instagram (@kresenkernow). You can also Modern research facilities on the first floor will encourage subscribe to our quarterly e-newsletter by emailing exploration of our collections. A browsing area will display popular [email protected] with ‘Subscribe to e-newsletter’ in the sources with access points for digital, microfilm and audio-visual subject line. Monument Watch training Day May 10th 2015

The day was organised by Ann Preston-Jones (Historic England) and Andrew Langdon and hosted by North Cornwall Heritage at The Arthurian Centre at Slaughterbridge. Thanks to Joe Parsons for his hospitality and support to all the work in North Cornwall.

Ann’s illustrated lecture, which will be repeated on the Area Reps’ Evenings for all CAS members to enjoy, showed the variety of threats to existing scheduled and unscheduled monuments.

Emma Trevarthen (CAU) explained how the internet can help research of the monuments and referred to Roger Smith’s access to Cornwall Council’s heritage records which was distributed with Newsletter 138 in June.

The group visited the inscribed stone at the NCH Centre and this made us think about it having been used as a bridge and the possibility of inscription on the underside of other clapper bridges. You may imagine that the underside of the Trecarne bridge on which the group was photographed was well examined. CAS members excavate a midden containing limpets, bones and pottery.

After lunch at Lanteglos Church Andrew Langdon demonstrated the threats to churchyard crosses and we all felt concern for the condition of the stonework of the church itself. The two walls, one on the right has two faces, one with Our next stop was Helsbury Hill fort with its ruined chapel inside. herringbone decoration and terminates. The other to the left is People were still visiting the site and leaving mementoes of loved curvilinear. There was much tumble between them and a circular ones. There was visible erosion by sheep and deep rooted roof slate with a hole punched through along with other roof slate overgrowth. We were able to examine a geophysical survey of fragments. There was also a granitic ball hammer stone. the site.

Ann then took us to Stannon Circle on Bodmin Moor, where a huge area had been scheduled and set us off in groups to justify it and to list any potential threats.

Thus we had seen sites on moorland, farmland, protected in a churchyard and threatened by water erosion and flooding. A very thought provoking day. I am sure that members will find Ann’s lecture in December (Truro) and January (Liskeard) very stimulating.

Gunwalloe August 2015, Imogen Wood

Dr Imogen Wood conducted a small excavation for NT to assess the damage done by erosion over the Early Medieval settlement identified there in previous years. Cattle had revealed more middens and excavation exposed walls belonging to two houses. Open Day. Children help clean finds.

Fieldwork on as such after the recent gales. A short distance away, in a similar Isles of Scilly, position, all the remains of a Bronze Age hut is a small length of limpet midden, the last large stones of the structure having fallen Michael onto the foreshore in 2014. Tangye. Book Reviews. The ferocious gales and high seas of the Plen an Gwari, The Playing Places of Cornwall. winter 2014 caused Will Coleman, Golden Tree Productions, St much damage to Buryan. 2015 £29.99 coastal archaeological sites in IOS. Annual This is a lavishly illustrated A4 sized book about this important monitoring in July aspect of Cornish Culture. It is the product of HLF funded 2014 on Tresco showed that boulder movement and the collapse research by the drama group led by Coleman. Expanding on of a long length of dune at the south end of Appletree Bay had research by Rod Lyon, the project set out to identify Playing revealed a rectangular grave-like structure of granite, oriented E- Places in all parishes and involved volunteers to check OS maps, W, with two large orthostats at its west end. Discovered by the tithe maps, HER and local traditions, as well as to walk the fields writer in 2009, it was found to be built on the old land surface at and lanes and even to get involved in some geophysical surveys. the base of a tall dune, indicating an early feature, possibly a Coleman concludes his book by declaring that there is much still large cist. It was planned, photographed etc and details reported to do and much of it should be done by archaeologists. to Eileen Breen, the resident archaeologist, and to Prof Charles Thomas. The book outlines what is known from historical sources and imaginatively interprets what it was like to watch a play in the In 1990, a few yards away from the above site, again on the Old round, open air theatres. The Cornish language is used Land Surface at the east of the dune, was found a curved sector judiciously and the pages are not crowded by captions under the of walling, three courses high, appearing to represent a round many illustrations, but numbered and attributed at the end of the house. A short distance away a saddle quern was found, and in book. It does not assume any knowledge of the history of 1992 some sherds, which were passed to the CAU. This site too Cornwall or of the language; everything is simply and clearly has been destroyed. explained. There was a limited print run, but some may still be available. Samson. In 1994, on the south side of Wise Porth, granite tumble had fallen from a tall dune onto the Old Land Surface at its To order go to goldentreeproductions.org.uk base. Annual monitoring in 1999 produced a granitic sherd from the dune and another a few yards to the south. By 2002 the dune Gunwalloe Through The Ages: Middle Bronze Age face was covered with small growth, but some tumble was still to 12th century AD. Dr Imogen Wood. NT. £15 visible. This is an evaluation report for the work carried out 2011 and .A check in 2015 showed that 2012, updated to include the work on the Iron Age Promontory the dune was still collapsing fort and its Bronze Age cist burial dug in 2013. It is of course very with some granite tumble, but technical, with specialist reports on the pottery, bones, phytolith with two orthostats set in the analysis, soil micro-morphology and molluscs. These all show OLS below. Behind that and how very scientific archaeology has become and what secrets abutting the dune face was a can be unravelled not only from the finds themselves but even the smooth faced granitic sherd. soil and sand they are dug from. Fascinating! The finds suggest a living site at a higher level in the dune, Imogen describes life in the bay through the ages, but most detail perhaps replacing an earlier of course is on the Early Medieval settlement, which is eroding one on the OLS evacuated by from the cliffs. With the new discoveries about the burials at St constant sand blows? Piran’s Oratory (see this NL) and the discussion of whether the oldest church was built of stone or wood, it is interesting to read

Imogen’s research into pre-Norman building techniques in stone. St Mary’s. At Halangy Porth More work is planned at the site for next summer, so this is a remnants of the cliff-face huts were severely damaged in 2014, good introduction into what has been discovered so far. resulting since in large sections of the features collapsing onto the beach. The polythene and sandbags positioned to the north of Copies can be bought from Adrian Rodda (see contacts) at the site by the late Paul Ashbee, to preserve the level for future lectures or through the NT at Penrose Estate, Helston. Penrose, excavation, have recently been destroyed. Helston, Cornwall, TR13 0RD Telephone: 01326 561407 Email: [email protected] At Porthcressa a Romano- British cist, found in the cliff face by this writer in 1990, and excavated in 1994, is now unrecognisable CARN BREA WALK 1st Jan 2015. and I was keen to use the curiosity that TONY BLACKMAN MEMORIAL Tony had taught me to look about from the WALK with Adrian Rodda. circle and thrilled to discover that from the centre of the circle, through a gap in the Adrian began with a tribute to Tony as a hills we could see Carn Brea! Walk away walks guide. from the circle and it was lost to view. What could that mean about the siting of My first guided walk with Tony Blackman Fernacre? Why was Carn Brea so was at his beloved Hurlers and he was a important in the Late Neolithic /Early master guide, showing knowledge, Bronze Age? That’s what we hope to humour and a sense of wonder and pride discover today. in all he saw. St Michael’s Holy Well. Photo Stuart Dow. About 20 walkers heard about the Tony had first hand knowledge of the area excavations of the Iron Age settlement by 34 walkers met at the NT car park in view and its history and archaeology. He used Thurstan Peter in 1895 and the CAS of the awe inspiring Showery Tor. Part of Oral History, quoting people who had lived excavations in 1970 directed by Roger the group followed Colin Retallick to St on the moor when the American and Mercer, which discovered a new class of Michael’s Holy Well, while others followed Canadian troops camped there before D- monument, a Neolithic Tor Enclosure. The Adrian and Roger up the ritual bank cairn Day. He was as interested in the medieval Iron Age houses were well cleared and towards Showery Tor. The cairn is 500m and modern remains as in the Neolithic visible. The Neolithic ramparts and long and changes its direction to point first and above all the lives of the people gateways could be made out through the towards Showery, then towards Roughtor. associated with them. When we came dead bracken. By March they would be Time Team had explored the area in 2006 across a steed, a small mound used for almost hidden again, but near the and sectioned the cairn to reveal that it drying peat, he described the last man Monument to Lord de Dunstanville and was built with uprights along its two sides, who had used it and his cottage. Tony Basset the footpath crosses one of them. about 2 metres apart and filled with was a people person. Above all young The houses and the standing stones that rubble. More rubble had been laid against people: he never stopped being a teacher. braced the ramparts had been interpreted the outside of the walls, often leaving He had invited Andrew Langdon on that by William Borlase as remains of a Druidic quartz stones glowing along its length. walk because some time previously he ritual site, chosen to exploit the solution The bank cairn had been built in 6 had been there with his Young basins on the tors at the summit of the hill. sections. Some worked flint suggested Archaeologists and he was so proud to tell that it had been built in the Late Neolithic us how a teenage girl had called his After an excellent lunch at “The Old Shire” Period. (1) attention to a round, obviously dressed the party drove up to Treslothan, where stone nestled in the bracken and the warden kindly opened the little church Phosphate analysis of the peat near to the wondered what it had been made for and for them. Leaving their cars parked in this bank cairn suggested that many fewer if it had been finished and left or was model village, the party crossed the fields cattle had grazed there, than on the land unfinished. Andrew’s opinion was sought to Carwynnen Quoit. There was just around the settlement below Roughtor, so to see if it was a cross base. Tony kept in enough daylight left to view it before a it was not just a field boundary and had touch with his young people and some shower of rain ended a cold and windy been respected through generations. owed their careers, and many others their day spent celebrating the Neolithic Pollen analysis showed that oak and hazel hobbies to his inspired introduction to monuments around Camborne and the had flourished on the moor about 5,000 archaeology. work of our late President, who showed us years ago. There had been no indication how to think about and appreciate them. of arable grain cropping; the farming As we walked around Stowe’s pound and appeared to be limited to grazing, which over to Craddock Moor he kept drawing may, even in the Bronze Age, have been our attention to the landscape, what could seasonal.(2) be seen from certain monuments and how those monuments fitted into the We passed a platform cairn to arrive at landscape. He made us look for ourselves Showery Tor, a natural cheesewring and keep our eyes open. surrounded by a piled bank of stones to honour it. An easy walk to Little Roughtor Tony’s last guided walk was to Stannon found us a sheltered lunch spot where Stone Circle in October 2011. He had little Colin’s group joined us. Richard Heard sight and could only walk with sticks, but showed us the gateway through the Looking from Carn Brea. Photo: Abi Brown he wanted to tell us himself what he and Neolithic Tor enclosures on its northern slope. We discussed the significance of St Dot had noticed about the alignments and Roughtor June 2015 with Roger the outliers and the position of the circle. Michael’s Chapel on the summit and then Smith and Adrian Rodda. He was unable to continue the walk and took a route Roger Smith had nominated Peter Rose took us further to Fernacre as the safest way down the steep June found CAS walkers in another of Stone Circle. It was a clear, Autumn day southern slope. Our walk to Fernacre Tony Blackman’s favourite places. Stone Circle took us through a settlement many fallen stones and its shape is clearly Beach; it was estimated that over the 50 of Middle Bronze Age houses and seen, measuring 45.5 by 43m in diameter. years the level of the sand was reduced enclosures. The houses varied in size There were possibly 33-39 stones in all.(3) by nearly 10 feet. Unlike most canals inclined planes instead of locks were used and states of preservation. Fernacre and Stannon Circles are visible but these were not on the section of canal from this site. we were to see. We walked along the section of canal from the modern road For most of us Stannon circle was the bridge dividing the seaward section from most satisfying with its 66 stones and a the canal leading inland and saw the wider diameter of 42.7m by 39m. It was a area where boats could turn round after suitable place for a tea break while we unloading. At this point the cargo, mainly explored the outliers, lined up the tors of sand, would be loaded on to canal barges [specially built tub boats with wheels, to Brown Willey which poked over Louden engage the rails on the inclined planes] for Hill and marvelled at the Roughtor effect onward journeys to be used for in the distance. agricultural purposes. The quays and buildings, such as the smithy, lime kiln More cists and cairns brought us up the and saw mill, later converted to a steam Settlement at foot of Roughtor. Photo Colin northern slope of Louden to look down at laundry which were associated with the Retallick. a Medieval longhouse and then to rock the canal in its working days, were still visible; logan stone. Our route back to the car although used in a different way today. Just clear of the settlement we located park took us through another Middle what appeared to be a propped stone We then crossed over the river Neet and Bronze Age settlement where Time Team contributing to a line of significant uprights associated flood plain – now a nature had excavated 2 houses. Eventually we aligned on a particularly high point of the reserve - and walked back towards Bude stopped at a turf stead to listen to Charles Haven. Colin pointed out the route of the tor, which may have been a stone row. Causley’s “Ballad of Charlotte Dymond” in railway, the LSWR branch to Bude opened in 1898 and closed in 1966. The Fernacre Stone Circle had probably been sight of her memorial in the marshy bank where her body had been found. railway brought tourism to Bude and laid out by eye, being 46 by 44m in probably contributed to the demise of the diameter. There are 61 existing stones, canal at the same time. We rejoined the 1) Cornish Archaeology 48-49. Thompson but may have been as many as 95 canal at the bridge [originally a swing and Birbeck. according to Barnatt.(3) In the south- east bridge allowing masted vessels to reach quadrant there is the remnants of a bank the upper wharfs] and followed the canal 2)www.wessexarch.w.uk/files/62500_Rou seaward. The buildings on this stretch of against the stones. We discussed the ghtor%20 the canal before reaching the sea lock position and significance of some outliers, may be modern in their usage but former but came to no conclusions. It is cut off 3) Barnatt, J. Prehistoric Cornwall The canal functions were still known. The from the settlements around it by streams Harbourmaster’s office is now a Tea Ceremonial Monuments. 1982. and marshy ground. Room and a shop had been a Canal Warehouse. Most interesting of all were Bude Canal Walk with Colin the remains of the tramway which ran Buck April 26th 2015 from the beach to the quays transporting beach sand to the boats.

Bude Canal Entrance to Lower Lock.

A small group gathered by the Bude Canal Bude Canal, Lower end. with Colin Buck who took us along the part of the canal still extant at the seaward We followed the tramway to the beach, end. Originally the canal reached seeing the sea lock which allowed the Launceston with a shorter branch ending ketches to enter the canal for their at Holsworthy. Colin gave us a brief cargoes, and then walked along the Cist on S slope of Louden. Photo Helen Peters. history of the canal which opened in 1823 breakwater to Chapel Rock. The and worked successfully for about 50 breakwater was destroyed by a storm in Stopping to admire a line of cists and years, finally closing in the 1890’s. Sir 1838 and rebuilt with Acland money – still cairns we soon found Louden Circle which Thomas Acland was a shareholder in the standing with minor repairs of modern has only one stone standing and four 1820’s and we were to see buildings still concrete. We climbed up to the Chapel Rock site, possibly dedicated to St stumps, but recent activity has revealed existing from this period of Acland funding. The main cargo was sand from Bude Michael and certainly predating the canal. It would have been a marker for the entry of the ridge above the River Fal, with the Pomeroys built in the 13th century to Bude Haven for centuries and still is an houses either side of a wide road, each leading towards Creed and Grampound, outstanding monument. Looking across to with a long, narrow burgage plot. meant the church could also have been an the coastline under Efford Downs there Characteristically the wide main “street” embarkation point for travellers to Brittany are structures at the water’s edge. Described as lime kilns but possibly fish was used as a marketplace for buying and and possibly pilgrims to Santa de cellars, Colin said it was not certain what selling goods, for fairs and for social Compostella in Northern Spain. they had been; any further information occasions. Established as a medieval about these would be most welcome. planned settlement, Tregony was therefore deliberately created to make money from the land.

Possible site of St James’s Church on the once Bude Cana Sanitary Steam laundry and Saw navigable river bridged by a single span. Mills. Whatever the purpose of the church by Back to the Falcon Hotel, another Acland the river, beyond the castle gatehouse Almshouses. financed building, passing by the cottages and Swine Lane in the marketplace, the built by him for the workers on the canal and finishing where we started at the Walking down the hill towards the Pomeroys built a chapel dedicated to St modern bridge which replaced the swing almshouses built by Boscawen for the Anne. Graeme showed pictures of ornate bridge. Many thanks to Colin for a most “poore”, members saw the edge of the stone work finds thought to be from the informative walk giving the historical rocky outcrop the 11th century castle was church. These included a holy water background to the Bude Canal. built on, when the Manor of Tregony, stoop and a Bodmin type font with a carved lion on it. Members heard Report by Jenny Beale, Photos Roger together with others in South Devon, anecdotal evidence of local people Smith. including Berry Pomeroy, were given to the Norman baronial family, the de la recalling boats sailing up to the port and of Tregony Historic Town CAS Pomerais. The imposing motte and bailey the ruins of the church being excavated for building stone. Walk with Graeme Kirkham, 15th design ensured the administrative centre overlooked both the enclosed courtyard February 2015 By the 17th century the church was area, where people did their business, and ruinous, though barges continued to use the crossing point of the Fal. Significant to Forty of us met at the Tregony War the port to unload and distribute the development of the trading town, this Memorial, where we were transported agricultural sand. But plans for a canal to introduction of civility gained Tregony back to the early medieval period, when take goods further along the valley failed Borough status, though nothing of the the town was a busy port and the Fal was after disputes concerning interference with castle remains today. navigable by ships of up to 800 tons. It the town’s water supply to the town’s mills. was a beautiful morning as members th Looking closer behind the largely 18th and Later, in the 18 century, the whole area walked round the old Borough listening to 19th century fabric of the buildings as we was streamed for tin. Graeme’s fascinating and fact packed talk walked, members gained a tantalising on how the town developed. From Sand Park by the bridge we saw a glimpse of how medieval inhabitants may place called “Toady” Port, meaning leper have experienced themselves in their Prior to the Norman Conquest the land and referring to the C14th leper hospital surroundings. Walking down the steeply around this tidal location and crossing built on the road leading towards Ruan sided Mill Lane, an original track from the point of the Fal belonged to an Anglo- Lanihorne. Attempts made to set up a fair river to the town, it’s easy to see why 15 Saxon called Aeodolf. A charter of 1049 and to develop the area similar to miles from the sea, Tregony became an shows that it contained the same stretch Launceston, failed. of river and trees as the later medieval important and strategic inland port, when town, suggesting Tregony Parish, lying the river was tidal and navigable. Though Returning to the town by another original between Cuby and Veryan, was already nothing is visible, an earlier settlement route, members were told there are no partly formed before the Conquest. probably existed there before the town surviving port records showing the trade was established. that went on, but the main occupations Tregony was built as one of many new evidenced by the houses and workshops In 1267 the Pomeroys built a church Norman towns developed across the in the town were those of weaver, miller, dedicated to St James by the river below country after the invasion. A typical shoemaker, farmer, vintner, mason, the town. It may have belonged to the “street town”, it followed a schematic plan blacksmith, tanner and bargeman. Augustinian Priory the family set up. The passed round, running along the summit Hopswere grown so extensively in the long causeway and single arched bridge area so that in 1631 there were 36 Late in the C18th maps of Tregony show a translation of the inscribed memorial on alehouses. wide street with a market house in the the stone. Dated to the C6th by Charles middle of it. Raised up on pillars, there Thomas, it shows people had access to Clearly wool, cloth, hides and leather, tin, would have been market traders’ stalls all literacy in Latin. So it seems that there wine and agricultural goods would have around it and underneath. Towards the may have been a high status settlement at been shipped out, and by 1267 the port C19th the Borough Council started making Tregony, at least in part Christian, with was sufficiently developed to gain everything more sanitised, and regulated. links into the Roman period, which shows Borough status with authority from the Walking through town to the clock tower the way that people buried their dead and King to open a market. Tregony was then we could see where the Market House the way in which they recorded them. licensed to hold three fairs, and later, five. had been moved into an enclosed and controlled space, in front of the Town Hall. Finally members were treated to a view of One of these fairs was held on St the medieval field system at Tregony. th Leonard’s Day, around November 6 or Brought alive by the aerial photographs th 7 , and members were told a wonderful handed around, it is a remarkably tale about Sir Henry Pomeroy and friends, surviving legacy of curving strip fields. including Alan de Dunstanville, revelling at Though many looked to have been the fair. Drunkenly they incarcerated a amalgamated, the fields still appear as man called Baldwin Tyrell in the castle very narrow strips, like those at Forrabury, cellars, for a ransom of 15 marks, and the above Boscastle. The almost elongated next morning went round the town blowing “S” shaped strips show how the ox team a horn and denouncing him. Bravely, turned, and are almost perfectly preserved Tyrell stood up to the bullies, who made in the landscape. The stone-faced earth him pay one hundred shillings not to take bank Cornish wall boundaries are typical Clock tower on site of market. proceedings against him. The ensuring of an early phase of medieval field litigation took over a year, with Henry and Next we walked up towards Cuby Church. enclosure from around 1250 to 1280. the other knights away in France fighting Built in 1260, from the C17th it had served Although Tregony continues to be for the King, but eventually the case came the religious needs of the combined developed, the amazing field system is to nothing. Parishes of Tregony and Cuby. Turning now protected. into Lord’s Meadow opposite the church, That religious life figured prominently in Report by Lynne Hendy. Photos by we saw the site of an early phase of medieval Tregony is hinted at again when Kathryn Conder. Tregony’s history, where Sean Taylor walking along Lady Lane. After much recently excavated the cremation urns of a investigation, Charles Henderson mature woman found inside a grain dryer CAS/DAS walk – Colliford Lake determined there was a chapel of Our of the late Roman, early Christian period. reservoir Lady sited at the lane’s end. In the 19th This evidence and several other Roman century a fogou was discovered along the remains, including tesserae found at the Sixteen of us met in the car park on the lane. Similar to that found at Penhale site, hint at a high status building shores of Colliford Lake reservoir on Round, in reality it is more likely to have somewhere nearby. Bodmin Moor for this joint CAS/DAS walk been used as a smuggling cache, perhaps led by Sandy Gerrard. His introduction to for cloth, like that hidden inside pilchard Walking to the extension graveyard of the the day included a lament for the loss of barrels at Pentire, to avoid the excise church, we saw another site of the same evidence of former medieval tin streaming men. period, where Late Roman pottery and sites now submerged under Colliford Lake Trethurgy ware had been recovered from reservoir. They and the nearby area of The Borough was also able to elect a ditch measuring 5m wide and 5m deep. Redhill Downs were where Sandy had burgesses to attend Parliament, but during researched part of his PhD some 36 years the C16th and C17th was a rotten Borough, ago. For a year he lived in a hayloft where members of Parliament bought accessed by a ladder while his days were their votes. spent single-handedly surveying the moor using the Plane Table method. He Trade and industry, especially the cloth reckoned he must have walked/ran 25 trade, led to the population greatly miles a day using 30 ranging rods and a increasing. Spinning and weaving 30m tape measure recording the medieval flourished in the town. Cottages were built tin streaming remains in the area. in alleyways and on medieval burgage plots, as at Guerney Row near the On the day of this walk the weather was Tregony clock tower. Every available slightly overcast as we made our way space was visibly taken up with rows of The inscribed Cuby Stone across the road to Redhill Downs. The cottages built for cloth workers. Some moorland appeared vast, open and were even built back to back, like the Returning to the church to look at the undulating with a herd of cattle grazing on workers’ cottages for the factories up “Cuby Stone” made from Pentewan elvan the higher ground. Closer inspection north. and built into the church wall near the south porch, members listened to a showed a landscape pockmarked with abandoned prospecting pits of which the harbour. Interesting that this would have The site at Old Quay, St Martin’s was deepest recorded was apparently 3.5m. been just after the Black Death. revealed by coastal erosion. They dug Sandy described how miners had to test pits along the coast and found 57 shovel away layers of turf, sand and microliths which did not resemble British gravel to access any potential tin lodes or types, but those from Northern France, deposits. If a pit showed promise they north of the Seine and dated to 6000BC. would begin digging uphill so as to take There were no obvious connections with advantage of and divert any water to wash Brittany, so presumably people had sailed over and remove soil to expose tin bearing down the channel coast. It was difficult to rocks. Unwanted rocks were piled decide if they had found early Neolithic alongside the vein of tin and the structures or a midden, but there was landscape developed a distinctive pattern Early Neolithic pottery, charcoal and of arterial gouges and earth banks with postholes which suggected the lean-to minor tributaries. Over time these structures from Carn Brea. A Carbon date medieval sites would become later gave 3300-3000calBC, with 10 more reworked as the price of tin made it Sandy explains how prospecting pits were dug. dates to come. There were many finds worthwhile. A pollen core taken between including 4,687 sherds from open bowls of two of the dumps at Colliford indicated The day ended with Sandy showing us the Early Neolithic, a greenstone axe, a that at least part of the streamwork was Penkestle Moor a short distance from pierced pebble and a complete mace Anglo-Saxon. The focus of extraction in Redhill. We saw Arrow’s Flight tinwork head. Cornwall was seen to move from east to mentioned in a document of 1690 together west. with leats, dumps, banks, medieval Dr Garrow recommended these sources for further study: boundaries and a large ring cairn together with more recent artillery emplacements “Gathering Time” by Whittle, Healey and from WWII. Bayliss. 2011 Antiquity 85 (2011) for Mesolithic Report and Photos by Kathryn Conder movement. www.neolithicsteppingstones for updates Archaeology In Cornwall on the whole project. 2014. Summaries of lectures. Multi-phase prehistoric and Part 3. Roman settlement at Par Mesolithic and Neolithic Lane, Par. Dr Ben Pears (AC Walking by Colliford Lake. maritime connections: recent Archaeology) The seemingly free, casual and tax-free excavations at Old Quay, St life of a tinner had its attractions but Par is situated on the south coast, east of optimism was needed and the wherewithal Martin’s, Isles of Scilly. Dr St Austell. Geophysical surveys revealed to survive lean periods. Tinners had rights Duncan Garrow. (University mining disturbance, masonry and field and could stake a claim on land if tin was of Reading.) boundaries. Area I contained linear land to be found there – landowners were divisions with ditches. unable to refuse and it could wreck fields. Dr Garrow and Fraser Sturt (Southampton Area 2 had dense archaeology from Seasonal advantages also meant more Uni) have been research into maritime industrial and domestic settlements. An water was available during the winter, activity on islands around Britain, funded enclosure dated to the 1-2nd century AD essential for tin streaming, and farming by AMRC and Museum of London. They had metalled surfaces, a truncated was easier in the summer resulting in have shown that it took a thousand years roundhouse and ovens and pits. A low farmers also being part-time tinners. Tin for the Neolithic culture to cross the level timber structure enclosed an oven ore was processed in blowing houses (in channel from France to Great Britain, circa with associated grain storage pits. This Devon blowing mills!) but tinners could th 5000BC to4050BC. During the 5 area was remodelled in the 2nd century AD only sell their tin twice a year in coinage millennium skin/hide and log boats were when a larger ditch cut off the oven towns. Many loan sharks operated offering used to cross the channel and the western features. In the 3rd century AD a complex tinners money to tide them over. Complex seaways may have been an alternative to oval structure (12m x 7.5m) was built of laws evolved from around 1200 and the Kent/Dover route. stone. The yard or working area contained Sandy said thousands of rolls of medieval another large oven, probably for industrial Latin exist untranslated about the tin They had excavated on Guernsey at rather than domestic use. industry. Abraham the Tinner was one L’Ecree during 2008-11, which was dated known individual who was reputed to have rd to 4800-4000calBC by the material culture Phase 4 in this area, in the 3 century AD had seven tin works and employed 300 and showed sporadic occupation. On meant a new enclosure to the N.E. of the tinners in 1357 in this area and was South Uist in the Outer Hebrides they first with an oval structure, a cobbled floor responsible for the silting up of Fowey discovered stone built Neolithic hearths and few finds. However, finds from the and walls. 1st/2nd century AD included a T shaped more in the inner ring, suggesting that the Map of 1580 and the OS Map 10” to 1mile brooch, spindle whorls, both stone and floor may have been recut and the house and Google. He spotted a circular ceramic, samian and South Devon Ware, remodelled. There was a second house structure by St Gluvias’s church, labelled black burnished ware and gabbroic 15m away and a third which showed only on the 10” map as “Camp”. He recognised storage jars. through its postholes. Pits in the middle in the place name BOHELLAND the contained jumbled stones and were not elements meaning House of the old Area 3 led off a deep hollow way from Par obviously interpreted at hearths. Monastery. The church had been bigger in Lane. There were 3 rectilinear structures. 1318 with cloisters, which had been lost. Structure 1 was orientated down the There was evidence of structured slope, not across it. It was 20m x 6m and decommission of the houses with the Fieldwork involved photogrammetry of the divided into two rooms, the larger being to discovery of a very large saddle quern and old churchyard, but it was shown to be the north and the smaller to the south. The mullers and a greenstone pebble. Two flat. However, there was a faint earthwork walls were well made. The north room had pots of classic cord impressed Trevisker noticed in the eastern churchyard ridge. a fireplace and had been terraced in the Ware had been buried in a manner, The churchyard had been cut into the 11th-12th century; there was masonry form reminiscent of Boden and one was packed hillside on a wave-cut notch from the last the 13th-14th century and a beam slot and with granite stone, similar to a find at Ice Age. The plen was cut into the postholes for internal division. The Scarcewater. There was also a copper periglacial notch and in turn had been cut smaller south room had been terraced in alloy fragment from a sheet. into by Islington Wharf. Intriguing! the 11th-12th century. A central pit contained a complete vessel from the 14th- This may have been a linear-band Research on the Plenis-an-Gwari is being 15th century. There was a mash pit for settlement and associated with the houses carried out by Goldentree Theatre under making beer, which may have held a and working areas nearby at Tremough. the direction of Matt Blewett. Please see cache in the house towards the end of its the website for more information. life. Penryn’s Lost Plen-an-Gwary. Dr Carodoc Peters. http://goldentree.org.uk/portfolios/plen-an- Structure 2 was for storage with a stone gwari-the-playing-places-of-cornwall/ floor. Caradoc explained that a plen-an-gwary or the Facebook page. was an earthwork circular enclosure for Structure 3 was U shaped from the 13th- Golden Tree Plen an Gwari Project the performance of medieval miracle 14th century and had been demolished in plays, such as the ones written in the the 15th century. The houses were similar Summaries were from notes by Millie Cornish language at Glasney College, to the Bodmin Moor longhouses at Garrow Holman and Adrian Rodda. Penryn before its dissolution in 1548. After and Treworld. Bishop Grandisson’s prohibition in 1360 CAS LECTURES. Dr Pears wondered if the site was the plays were not allowed to be acted at associated with the Tywardreath Priory the College itself or within churches on the Bodmin Gospels February 20th major religious feasts, so one would and had been destroyed with its demise. Professor Michelle Brown expect that Penryn, along with other towns

Beaker Burial and Bronze throughout Cornwall, would have its own Professor Brown began her talk with a open air theatre. There is evidence that brief outline of the history, through Age homes at Burnt House, drama persisted in Penryn after the loss of ownership, of the manuscripts making up Mabe. Dr Bryn Morris. Glasney. In 1567 a company of actors the Gospels. Written in the 940s they were were performing late at night in the town kept at the altar of St Petroc’s church, The site consisted of two fields across the when- Bodmin. Then they passed into private ownership in Oxfordshire at the time of the road from the site at Tremough where the Reformation, bought by an antiquarian “certaine Spaniards were landed the Bronze Age worked assemblage early in 1833 and finally passed to the described by Henrietta Quinnell, had been same night… with intent to take the towne, British Museum. discovered. (See Newsletter 137, spoyle and burn it; when suddenly even February 2015). Geophysical survey had upon their entrance, the players (ignorant They are a major linguistic monument in suggested a busy North field and a quiet as the towne’s men of any such attempt) Cornish history; probably the earliest South field. presenting a battle on the stage, with their surviving documents written in ‘Cornish’. drums and trumpets stroke up a lowed She mentioned other examples of inscriptions from the 6th C AD, such as The North field held a stone lined pit with alarme: which the enemy hearing, and Men Scryfa. The Gospels have many burnt bone, presumably human, charcoal fearing they were discovered, amazedly instances of Manumissions from 940s to and a piece of beaker pottery. This cist retired, made some few idle shots on a 1100s where the names of those in burial was surrounded by satellite pits. bravado, and so in a hurly-burly fled bondage were freed, with Cornish names disorderly to their boats. “ (Quoted by added to the Latin words used in the What had been assumed to be modern James Whetter Pp 103-4, History of Gospels. In fact both Cornish and English debris in the South field turned out to be a Glasney College, Padstow.1988.) were used in listing the manumissions. Middle Bronze Age sunken roundhouse. It This list is an important part of the Gospels; it is possible that the idea came had a stone hearth and concentric rings of Caradoc began his search with a review of from Christian areas of the Middle East, postholes, with 40 in the outer ring and map evidence including Lord Burghley’s Armenia in particular. Professor Brown explained that the idea of bondage or when he became the first Inspector of Traditionally excavation reports were slavery at the time of the Bodmin Gospels Ancient Monuments he bemoaned his lack published in county society journals, but is rather different to the modern concept of of powers to force landowners to respect there were now too many reports, which slavery. Often those listed were high born their own sites. led to the growth of “Grey Literature”, and had been in bondage or slavery perhaps because of lack of funds to pay which ought to be all on the ‘wergilt’. Another interesting fact is the Even in the 1950s archaeologists like Archaeological Data Service (ADS), but inclusion of children named in the R.J.C. Atkinson, working on Stonehenge, are not. If work was done by competitive Gospels, with both Cornish and English still used paid labourers. Sir Mortimer groups there might be no liaison because backgrounds. Children were freed with the Wheeler, ex Indian army, popularised of commercial secrecy, so no-one was mother. Cornish places are mentioned in archaeology through television getting an overview of discoveries unless the Gospels; Bodmin and Padstow twice programmes such as “Animal, Vegetable an academic could get a grant to trawl the and Liskeard, which was important before and Mineral”, but he, like most of the site the Normans reached England, being the literature. People were not made aware of seat of secular power. directors of his generation, was still unpublished finds or the discoveries in “gents”. However, the large projects they their localities. The Caroline minuscule script used in the undertook, such as Maiden Castle, Gospels indicates influences from needed scores of volunteers, mostly The huge quantity of finds, eg from Brittany; in fact two scripts were used, the students, who could be accommodated Roman sites in Wessex, brings its own other being Anglo Saxon minuscule. It is under canvas. County Societies furnished problems as museums have no space for probable that the Gospels started out in local volunteers, such as at Wharram archives to be deposited and properly Brittany at Landevennec and were brought to Bodmin at the time of Athlestan, the Percy. curated. Companies are forced to keep grandson of Alfred the Great. finds in poor storage conditions. This Landevennac was founded by monks in By the time Julian began his first leads to a temptation to select; what is the early 500s who travelled from SW excavation in 1969, volunteers were the thrown away might, one day, be of interest Britain, and was sacked in 913. The usual labour force, with supervisors often to a researcher. connections between SW Britain, having little experience. Health and Safety particularly Cornwall, and Brittany were concerns were not paramount and Julian With archaeology following the close. was almost killed in a trench collapse. The developers’ boom and bust cycle, the

The new fangled manner of musical building boom of the 1960s led to the career has become unstable. In the low notation, first used in the 10th-12th C, was formation of Rescue Archaeology Groups times archaeologists take on better jobs, used here; a rare early example. The and the need to survey and record what leading to another skills shortage in the binding has not been tampered with, was extant before the bulldozers crushed boom times. Recruits learn on the job, perhaps due to the connection with a them. Volunteers were paid subsistence often with zero hours contracts and no saintly context. There may have been a allowance and were expected to camp in sick pay. Their place of work could be 100 panel of ivory/metal as a protective covering. After X-ray by the British Library village halls or schools. miles away and they don’t get paid for the binding was found to be of the 10th- travelling time. Students now have 12th C. In the early 80s there was no career massive debts so are not applying for structure for field archaeologists, but this posts with no security. Cuts in Local Jenny Beale began to change with the need for Government grants have led to evaluations before planning permission redundancies in planning departments could be granted. PPG16 in December th and in museums. There are fewer curators AGM LECTURE 16 April 2015 1990 put an obligation on developers to and conservators. (This echoed a “What is wrong with find out what was there through desk statement made to the AGM by Jane Archaeology?” Julian Richards. studies, large scale geophysical surveys Marley, the now redundant curator of and “mitigation” – preservation of archaeology in Truro Museum. Ed) Julian described himself as “a loose archaeology by not disturbing it. If it cannon” who had done a variety of jobs in should be destroyed it would have to be “Time Team” had built up an interest archaeology and had fun in his chosen properly excavated and recorded. amongst the public for archaeology, but vocation. developers thought it all could be Competitive tendering by private firms led discovered in 3 days! Television The earliest antiquarians were well heeled to the ridiculous situation where firms companies had seen a need to build enthusiasts, such as Inigo Jones, who worked in each other’s territories, possibly excitement into the programme and tried to show that Stonehenge was a unfamiliar with the geology, the pottery invented “Extreme Archaeology”, which Roman monument. The barrow diggers of styles or even how to recognise worked owed more to “Charlie’s Angels” than to Salisbury Plain, Colt Hoare and flint in a chalk area. There was a skill academia. Celebrities, such as Nick Connington were wealthy men who could shortage and a boom in University Knowles, had been brought in to “front “ afford to employ artists and engravers to courses around 2000. Often the students programmes and “Treasure” series help publish their work. The digging was could have only limited experience of possibly encouraged night hawks! all done by labourers and some of them digging and were not prepared to work Channel 5’s “10,000 BC”, where a bunch became expert interpreters of their local under pressure, at speed or as of Essex “chavs” were taken to caves in soils. General Pitt-Rivers had his own independently as developers required. Bulgaria and dressed in skins, did no good estate in Cranborne Chase to explore and at all, having been inspired by “Big Brother”. Julian called for proper dishes meant the race was on to replicate See the Walks Flyer for details of the walk programmes, written and presented by the Chinese methods of porcelain on 27th September with Bob Felce along proper archaeologists telling exciting production and so engage in a spreading the Soaprock Coast. This little introduction stories. (He did have a good word for Prof and lucrative market. to the subject by our Walks Organiser, Alice Roberts. Most men do! Ed) Kathryn Conder, should whet your In the 1730s new technology including appetites to join her on the day. The Heritage Lottery Fund had spurred a accurate measurement of kiln growth in community archaeology, such temperatures and new, more skilful and Cornwall & Devon Archaeological as Carwynnen Quoit, where a variety of reliable methods of storing the pots in the Societies Joint Symposium 2015 skills and approaches were used to kiln to get an even temperature were involve local people in the heritage. Julian developed. IRON AGE HILLFORTS, ENCLOSURES hoped to see children digging on real AND LANDUSE IN SOUTH WEST sites, building replica houses and making Recent research has suggested that the BRITAIN first soaprock extracted for economic use pottery and tools. It was not all doom and st gloom. Adrian Rodda was from Kynance Cove, and in the later 31 October 2015 at Eagle House Hotel, 1740s new deposits were discovered at Launceston 10.00am – 5.30 pm Soaprock and porcelain on Gew Graze (Soapy Cove). The first known the Lizard, Kathryn Conder licences to quarry soaprock were granted Recent work has seen advances in the for this location in 1748 and the pottery way we understand hillforts and run by Benjamin Lund, who was located at enclosures, and the land use of The simple act of pouring boiling water communities who constructed and used Bristol. into a cup belies a complex history; the them. Different aspects will be addressed for South West Somerset, Devon and origins of which partly lie in a stretch of By 1752 the newly formed Worcester coastline between Mullion Cove and Cornwall, with the focus on the Iron Age, factory had taken over this pottery and the but with extensions before and after this Pentreath on the Lizard peninsular and licence for the site and began to extend period where appropriate. Extensive the subsequent manufacture of Soft Paste the area it covered. By 1760 Worcester geophysical survey, new excavations and Porcelain. For it was from these were the largest consumers of soaprock new approaches to dating have been Serpentine cliffs during the 1680’s that from quarries as far north as Mullion, as especially rewarding. Speakers arranged are Catherine Frieman, Ralph Fyfe, samples of soaprock were sent to the far south as Pentreath and inland at Frances Griffith, Andy Jones, Clare Royal Society in London to try to establish Daroose and Lizard Common. It was also its characteristics and possible economic Randall, Henrietta Quinnell and Eileen extracted by the porcelain factories at Wilkes. See booking form accompanying uses. By the 1720’s it was known that the Vauxhall in London, Liverpool, Caughley this newsletter, and on both Societies’ high magnesium content of this and South Wales. websites, for further details on the metamorphic rock provided heat resistant programme and the venue. properties for the production of porcelain. The quarry sites are still visible with a little William Borlase in 1729 presented the practice on the cliffs and inland and one The cost to include tea, coffee and lunch work of Dr John Woodward who noted these is Penruddock Quarry near Mullion will be £25 per person. The booking form, that soapy clay at Kynance and Gew Cove, now a site of managed wetland together with cheques made payable to Gaze was suitable for porcelain conservation and home to diverse species ‘Cornwall Archaeological Society’, should be sent, by October 14th, to: Konstanze manufacture. of plants and animals. Rahn, 13 Beach Road, Porthtowan, Truro, Cornwall, TR4 8AA. Telephone 01209 Soaprock changed the face of trade in the 891463. UK introducing a competitive industry. It was later superseded by the production of China Clay derived from granite and the .Contacts: production of Hard Paste Porcelain of which William Cookworthy played a part. Secretary: Roger Smith, 18, St He attempted to produce the original Sulien, Luxulyan, Bodmin, PL30 5EB recipe for Hard Paste Porcelain as used (01726 850792) by the Chinese, using Cornish China Clay [email protected] and China Stone but was not able to produce merchantable quality products Membership secretary: Konstanze Penruddock – one the former soaprock quarries until 1768. Rahn, 13 Beach Road, Porthtowan, near Mullion Cove now home to diverse species Truro. TR4 8AA. of plants and animals. It all began with the quarrymen on the [email protected] west Lizard Coast in Cornwall and their .uk Ceramic porcelain prior to this was work should be celebrated and not imported from China into many European forgotten. Newsletter Editor: Adrian Rodda, 52, countries. However the growing trade in Mount Pleasant Road, Camborne, coffee, chocolate and later tea along with Acknowledgement and thanks to Bob TR14 7RJ (01209 718675) the increasing number who could afford to Felce (BScHons) Mullion [email protected] eat their food from porcelain plates and .uk CAS WALKS 2015-16 please book a place ASAP (contact Adrian geomorphology, prehistoric hut circles, the Rodda). Bronze Age salt works at Trebarbeth and medieval field systems all around Lowland Members joining these walks must ensure Point. For this part of the day meet at that they are appropriately dressed and Sunday November 15th - A 10am at Dean Point (take the signed road equipped for the terrain and the weather to the right as you face Roskillys’ Ponds conditions likely to be encountered. You walk around the Penwith and follow it to where the tarmac ends and should assure yourself that you are Central Uplands with David until the track finally runs out (SW 801 physically able to meet any challenges Giddings. 11:00 – 16:00 202). which the walk may entail and should Ceremonial landscape, BA, IA and discuss with the walk leader, prior to the Romano-Cornish settlement with In the afternoon, Bart O’Farrell will guide start of the walk, any circumstances or contemporary fieldscapes, tin working and us around the ‘Calendar’ site of the Three conditions which might be relevant. more. There will be mud. Packed lunch. Brothers Grugwith explaining the Wrap up. Meet end of tarmac on the East/West (Equinox) stone alignments The Society is concerned for your welfare, Bosiliack Lane. SW 438341. Near and showing the cup marks on the Bronze but it is not responsible for it. Bosiliack Farm. Age burial chamber stones. The meeting th Cancellation 07970567771. time for this is 2pm with car parking on the Sunday 27 September side road on the left (marked to Lizard Soaprock and the Friday 1 January 2016 - Penhallick) just before Zoar Garage on the origins of English porcelain. St Keverne to Helston B3293 road (SW The Tony Blackman 7602 1907). A walk with local historian Memorial New Year's Day Bob Felce. 11.00-16.00. Meet at CAS walk with Roger Smith. Please wear appropriate clothing and Predannack Wollas NT Car Park.(SW footwear for rough and muddy 6678 1603). Uncovering the forgotten One of Tony’s ambitions was to establish countryside. Packed lunch or industrial history of 17th and 18th Century a network of Area Representatives to refreshments available at Roskillys and in Cornwall on the west coast of the Lizard monitor Cornwall’s scheduled monuments St Keverne village. Peninsula and its links to the earliest and historic environment. Thanks to his production of English porcelain. Recent work, and that of Peter Cornall, CAS now Saturday 16 April 2016 – research into the development of the cliff has a network of (mainly amateur) Rock art survey workshop quarries at Gew Graze (Soapy Cove), volunteers. This visit to Bodmin will Kynance and Pentreath. include 2 sites facing different problems. Until recently it seemed that prehistoric Firstly, there will be a visit to the very rare rock art was sparse in Cornwall and in the Iron Age multivallate hillfort of Castle Sunday 18th October - St. south west as a whole. Recent discoveries Canyke, the setting of which is under – not least those resulting from the CAS Agnes Tinners’ and pressure from planned development. This investigations at Hendraburnick Quoit, Wreckers’ Day - with Roger is a large site of enormous strategic near Camelford – suggest that there may importance as it commanded the ridgeway be more out there than we thought. Radcliffe (St. Agnes Museum) route into West Cornwall. Later, there will 11:00 – 16:00. Meet at Trelawny Road be a chance to look at some sites of It has been suggested that a CAS rock art Car Park in the centre of St. Agnes (by the medieval importance in the town, in survey group could be established to library). Appropriate clothing and footwear particular the chantry chapel of St prospect for and record further examples. advisable (18thcentury if you wish!). Picnic Thomas, which has in recent times been An initial session will be held for those lunch at Trevaunance Cove (low water is the target of vandals. However, the interested on Saturday 16 April 2016. This at 15:07); a suitable locally brewed situation is not all bad and Bodmin still has will be led by Andy Jones and Graeme wreckers’ ale will be available at the much to interest archaeologists and Kirkham, who have recently published an Driftwood Spars for those so inclined. The historians. initial overview of rock art in the south day concludes with tea & cakes at St. west. This will combine a morning indoor Agnes Museum (cars will be arranged for Meet at the long-stay car park at Victoria session introducing what is currently the final leg). Square, Bodmin, PL31 1EB (SX076663) known of rock art in the region and the at 11am. Car-parking charges may still wider British and western European Prompted by renewed interest in Winston apply. We will walk along quiet roads to context, and an initial look at the recording Graham's Poldark saga (1783 - 1820), this Castle Canyke, which will probably be form, with an outdoor fieldwork session visit to St. Agnes aims to bring alive the muddy. In the afternoon we will walk the lasting 2-3 hours in the afternoon. This will period, people and places that inspired his short distance back into Bodmin. Picnic be on an area of rough ground so novels. Focused on the 18th century but lunches may be brought but there are participants will need to be able to walk on touching on a few of the more ancient pubs in the town. uneven and steep paths and over archaeological sites along the way and moorland vegetation. Young members Blue Hills Tin Streams for a tour of the February Walk to be arranged. (from 14 years upwards) are welcome. works led by tin streamer and smelter See website or next Newsletter. Mark Wills (demonstrations and details of: Numbers of participants for these water powered tin-stamps, settling ponds, Sunday 20 March 2016 - sessions will be limited and anyone buddle, ball-mill, shaking table, smelter, tin Lowland Point and Three wishing to attend is asked to register their ingots. The layers of history run deep on interest by contacting Adrian Rodda this site so there is plenty of interest for Brothers Grugwith near St [email protected] the archaeologist. Special rate of £5.50 Keverne on the Lizard This event is in the planning stage at the per head). We will need to confirm Peninsular. Charlie Johns (CAU) hosts moment and further details will be posted numbers for Blue Hills Tin Streams so a rich morning of archaeology in this on the CAS webpage and in the next fascinating area replete with newsletter. Ian Wall, Director, Royal Cornwall Truro Winter Museum Liskeard Winter

Lectures 2015/16 5 November 2015: Lectures Thursday evening at Members evening. Friday evenings 7.30pm Speakers to be confirmed. 7.30pm Truro Baptist St.Martins Church Hall, Church Street, Liskeard. PL14 3AD Church, Chapel Hill. 3 December 2015: Truro. TR1 3BD Corfield Nankivel lecture: 9 October 2015: The Archaeology in danger - remarkable heritage of the 24 September 2015: community action through Tamar Valley AONB CITiZAN (Coastal and Intertidal Neighbourhood Plans. Samantha Barnes, Helping Hands Zone Archaeology Network). Nicholas Johnson, President for Heritage project officer. Alex Bellasario, Outreach Officer, Cornwall Archaeological Society MOLA. 13 November 2015: 7 January 2016: Area Circling around new This is a new national project funded by Representatives Evening. interpretations of Restormel the Heritage Lottery Fund, Crown Estate Anne Preston-Jones will talk about Castle and National Trust, led by MOLA, with the Monuments at Risk. (See Area Jeremy Ashbee, Head support of the Council for British Properties Curator at English Archaeology, Historic England and Reps training in NL 139.) Nautical Archaeology Society. Heritage Area Reps will describe The project aims to develop a network of monuments and issues within their volunteers who will be trained (or provide own areas. 11 December 2015: The tailored training to those with Roman Archaeology group in archaeological experience) to identify, record and monitor archaeological sites in 4 February 2016: Cornwall. Val Maxfield, former the coastal zone. This information can A remarkable Early Bronze Age President of Cornwall then be uploaded (directly by the CITiZAN burial on Whitehorse Hill, Archaeological Societ. network) to a database which will be fully Dartmoor. accessible to the public and in turn 15 January 2016: Area highlight areas for further work or Andrew Jones, Principal monitoring (the project is the English Archaeologist, Cornwall Representatives evening. version of the Scottish SCAPE Archaeological Unit programme). 12 February 2016: Bypassing Indian Queens: The As part of the project, CITiZAN will be 3 March 2016: providing an archaeological survey 1990s excavations at Penhale training session at Godrevy and in The Mary Rose: a 16th century Round – Investigating Gwithian church hall on Sat 26 Sept Warship in a 21st century world. prehistoric and Romano-British from 10.00 to 17.00hrs. It is free but you James Rodliffe, Front of House Settlement in Cornwall’s need to book, to do this go to: – Manager, Mary Rose Museum http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/archaeologic heartlands. al-recording-at-gwithian-tickets- 18164026091?aff=es2 16 April AGM: Jacky Nowakowski, Principal Archaeologist, CAU For further information about CITiZAN: The Speaker will be 11 March 2016: Reading the http://www.mola.org.uk/projects/research- George Eustice MP. and-community/citizan Hurlers: a Heritage Lottery Fund Minister of State project. 1 October 2015: DEFRA and MP for Emma Stockley, Community A role for The Royal Institution Camborne, Redruth Heritage Officer at Dartmoor National Park of Cornwall after nearly 200 and Hayle. years of collecting.

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