FROM YOUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS: APRIL 2017

We start this month’s round-up with a wonderful example of vernacular architecture in east :

This mid-19th century timber-framed granary is at Trewithick near Launceston. Staddle-stones and use of local slate were once typical of this part of east Cornwall. Thanks to Diana Sutherland, the local AR, for the photograph.

Let’s move from the east to the west and from a single building to a whole landscape, with a very exciting report from David Giddings about the Penwith Landscape Partnership. C.A.S.P.N. (Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network: http://cornishancientsites.com/ ) is the lead organisation in this assembly of various interest groups and has been instrumental in developing an Ancient Penwith strand of a bid that will hopefully get funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Much work has gone into preparing archaeological trails of varying lengths, dealing with access problems - ownership, vegetation, arranging volunteer programmes and seeking to enhance and protect less well known sites. David has been representing the interests of CAS and is also a member of CASPN. He wishes to mention the huge contribution made to this by Cheryl Straffon and John Moss of CASPN, Ann Reynolds (Senior Archaeologist, Countryside Advice, ) and Ann Preston-Jones (Historic England and Cornwall Archaeological Unit). Penwith Landscape Partnership, comprises 13 strands, and is in the process of hearing proposals which will be presented to the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Board has approved the Ancient Penwith strand. David says that everything seems set fair and soon the PLP will be moving from development to delivery phase. Other strands of the bid also have a significant archaeological element: Outstanding Penwith (community volunteer project), Up with the Downs (rough ground management), Taking Names (Cornish language place and field name interpretation), That's Our Parish (local audits), Making Tracks (reviving the Tinners' Way).

Some ARs are helping in a Coastal Access project by reporting on various archaeological features close to the coast path in south Cornwall. It is being co-ordinated by Hannah Curnow, Historic Environment Record Assistant for the Cornwall & Scilly Historic Environment Record. Here are a couple of photographs of features near . Fans of Daphne du Maurier, especially Rebecca, will recognise Polridmouth in the foreground of the next photo. The feature visited was the Gribbin daymark, just visible on the horizon. It was built in 1832 to help local shipping.

Another feature visited recently on the Coastal Access survey in this area was Town Quay (dating from around 1660) in Polruan, just a ferry ride across from Fowey. The stump of the medieval St Saviour’s Chapel can be seen on the top of the hill directly above the quay. Beaches, beautiful countryside, ferry journeys, ice-cream - it’s tough work but someone has to do it!

For the last year ARs have been focused barrows in addition to their normal monitoring work. Next year’s theme will be medieval features. At the ARs’ meeting earlier this month, Ann Preston-Jones started the process of briefing us about this period with a wonderful, interactive presentation, something which we hope to persuade her to repeat at a lecture evening. She and Andrew Langdon will lead a training day for ARs in the summer so they will have a better idea of what to look out for.

Rather appropriately, the rest of this report has a medieval theme. (To be honest this is more happy coincidence than the result of planning!)

Joe Parsons, besides being an AR, also runs the Arthurian Centre at Slaughterbridge near , where annual excavations take place (http://www.arthur-online.co.uk/index.php/archaeology ). In June 2017 excavation will be taking place again on the deserted medieval village site of Melorn. Joe has sent the following photograph of a find from House 1. He wondered, given its size, if it was an apprentice piece of ironwork, particularly since that house was re-used as a forge. We discussed this photograph at our recent meeting, with suggestions ranging from a shoe for a pony, to the less than helpful statement from a wag, whose name I feel obliged to withhold, that it was definitely a 50 pence piece! What do you think?

Joe reports that during the winter he and his colleagues have also undertaken a lot of work in Lady Falmouth's garden (c.1735), and kindly added that ‘CAS Members may wish to visit this spring/summer (free access if they mention they are CAS Members!)’.

A while back, Richard Heard’s concerns about the future of Binhamy Castle near were reported in the CAS newsletter. Adrian Rodda received a very interesting email from Dick Gilbert, a CAS member in Brisbane, Australia, who hailed from Poundstock. Dick mentioned that: ‘Binhamy was the seat of the Blanchminster family who, in 1421, set up a charitable organisation, The Blanchminster Trust. The Trust is still active and in recent years has extended its range to include community aspects. The Trust has helped maintain local families and local issues for nearly 600 years and, I am sure, would be more than willing to help maintain the seat of their founder. After all, without Binhamy there would have been no Blanchminster Trust!’ Although this charity focuses on social issues rather than protecting archaeological features, a group has now come together to help look after Binhamy and they are in the process of making an application to the Charity Commission for official Trust status.

Brian Oldham has sent in the following photograph. It shows a delightful window of medieval origin incorporated into an internal wall of Lamellion Cottage near and appears to be a “squint”, probably to enable late comers to view and hear proceedings when the small chapel known to have existed in the vicinity was full. The HER mentions that ‘a chapel dedicated to 'Our Lady' at Lamellion is recorded in 1441’. The chapel location has not yet been found.

Brian also mentions that a custom, possibly dating back to the medieval period, namely the beating of the bounds, will take place in Liskeard on Sunday 21st May 2017. See this website for details: http://www.liskeard.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/Points-of-Interest-en-Route-and-Map.pdf .

Lastly, here is a photograph of a Hall Chapel in the parish of Lanteglos-by-Fowey which illustrates some of the challenges in looking after buildings of this period.

It dates from the 14th or 15th centuries and may once have been the private chapel of the Mohun family. Unfortunately, as the scaffolding suggests, it is not in a good condition, despite being both Listed and Scheduled. Public access is not possible at the moment and English Heritage experts are monitoring the situation. Let’s hope that a permanent solution can be found to preserve and protect such a wonderful building in its tranquil and beautiful setting.

Remember that Area Representatives are always keen to hear from fellow CAS members, and the general public, about any feature of the historic environment in their parishes, whether a new discovery, something causing concern, or even just to answer queries. If you have any concerns, or new information, about any archaeological feature, please contact the Area Representative for the parish. If you do not know who that is, our secretary can provide the information: [email protected] .

Roger Smith, 30th April 2017