Prehistoric Remains in Cornwall Author(s): A. L. Lewis Source: The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. 25 (1896), pp. 2-16 Published by: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2842463 . Accessed: 16/06/2014 00:34 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Journal of the Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 62.122.79.21 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 00:34:28 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 2 A. L. LEwIs.-PrehistoricRemains in Cornwall. themselvesin obtainingthe necessaryphysical measurements in suitableplaces, thoughthe inistructionsprovided had been made clear and simple enoughto enable any personto do so, who had the use of the fewinstruments required. For thispurpose, they would be glad to furnishinstruments, and render any other assistancethat mightbe necessaryand practicable. The other branches of the enqtiirywere also being proceeded with as opportunityoffered. All theirexperience had shownthem how valuable the results of their work would be likely to be, and how desirableit was that it should be carried to a successful issue withoutany delay that could be avoided. The followingpapers wereread: " PrehistoricRemains in Cornwall." Part I. By A. L. LEWIs,Esq., F.C.A. " On the NorthernSettlements of theWest-Saxons." By Dr. JOHN BEDDOE, F.R.S. PREHISTORIC REMAINS itn CORNWALL. By A. L. LEWIS, F.C.A. [PLATES I, II.] Part I.-East Cornwall. THE prehistoricremains of Cornwallhave been the themeof so many archaeologicalbooks and papers that it might well be thoughtthat nothingremained to be said about them,especially since the publication by the Society of Antiquaries of the elaborateplans preparedby the Rev. W. C. Lukis and Mr. W. C. Borlase; but even this work,exhaustive as it appears to be, omitsall inentionof two large and importantcircles, and of anotherlarge and almost unique monumentwhich I shall describe in the course of the presentpaper. Warned by the shortcomingsof my predecessors,I shall not ventureto suppose that I have to-day said the last word upon this apparently inexhaustiblesubject, but I shall be quite preparedto hear at any time that some more fortunateperson has discovered somethingthat has escaped my own noticeas well as that of the morecelebrated antiquaries who have precededme. The firstmonuments I propose to draw your attentionto are the three circles called the " Hurlers,"which are 4 or 5 miles north fromLiskeard and half a mile south from the curious natural pile of granite called the " Cheesewring." They were mostaccurately surveyed by Mr. C. W. Dymond in This content downloaded from 62.122.79.21 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 00:34:28 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions A. L. LEwIs.-Prehistoric Remnainsin Cornwall. 3 1877, and his descriptionand plan are in the " Jouriialof the BritishArchaeological Association " for1879, and theywere also measuredin 1879 by Messrs. Lukis and Borlase,whose plans and descriptionwill be found in the work published by the Societyof Antiquaries. These threecircles are in a line extend- ing over about 530 feet and averagingabout 15 degreeseast of north,but the directionof the line fromthe centreof the south circle to that of the middle circle is 12 -egrees east of north, while the line fromthe centreof the middlecircle to that ofthe northcircle is 181 degrees east of north. The threecircles at StantonDrew, near Bristol,are arrangedin a similar inanner, though the bearings are not quite the same. Mr. Dymond gives the diametersas 114, 140, and 108 feet for the north, middle,and south circles respectively:Mr. Lukis states them at 110, 135, and 105 feet only, but this differencemay be attributedto the conditionof the circles,which is veryruinous, therebeing only eighteenstones standingand niineteenfallen out of a total of seventy-fivein the threecircles, as estimated by Mr. Dymond. Their destructionhas continuedto quite recenttimes, for I founda stonein the northerncircle in 1869 whichMr. Dymond also foundthere in 1870, but did not find in 1877, when he completedhis plan,but whichhe has inserted therein with a note reporting its disappearance. Messrs. Lukis and Borlase who followedhim in 1879 of coursedid not find the stone, and it does not appear in their plan. Mr. Tregelles who visited these circles in 1894 reportsthe dis- appearance of onieif not two stoneswhich Mr. Dymond found in the southerncircle. About 400 feetfrom the middle circle, in a direction21 degreessouth of west fromits centre,but in a line with its southernedge, are two stones about 5 feet high. The stonescomposing these circlesare from3 to 6 feethigh and 1 to 3 feetbroad and thick. The most remarkableobject seen fromthe circles is the " Cheesewring"hill, which is 4 degrees west fromnorth, and stands up on the sky-linein a manner which occurs so frequentlyin connectionwith the Cornish circlesand the most prominenthills around them,as to cause an impressionthat the positionof the circles w(asselected with a view to the effectto be producedby the hills. Betweenthe Hurlers and Liskeard is the TrethevyStone, a dolmen forminga completechamber, but standinignot in but on a mound,from 2 to 3 feet high, which makes it difficult to believe that the dolmen was ever either coveredor intended to be covered. There are seven upright stones supportinga capstone,151 feetby 10 feet,at a maximuimlheight of 10 feet fromthe floorof the interior; the capstone h1asa smiiallhole at the upper end, which was probablycut to receivea crossat a B 2 This content downloaded from 62.122.79.21 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 00:34:28 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 4 A. L. LEwIs.-PrehistoricRemainzs in Co-nwall. periodlong afterthe erectionof the dolmen. This monument was firstdescribed by Norden in or abouit1584 A.D., anti is figuredby Mr. Dymondin the " Journalof the BritishArchauo- logical Association" in 1879-80, and by Messrs. Lukis and Borlase in the workpublished by the Societyof Antiquaries. Dozrnare Pool, round which large numbers of flintflakes have been dug up, is about 5 miles west fromthe "Hurlers." The flintappears to have been broughtfrom Devonshire and inade into implements,etc., at this place. There are also some single stoniesand oth-erremains about the district. At IDuloe, 4 miles south fromLiskeard, there is a smnall circle,consisting of eightlarge stones,the largestof which has been throwndowni and broken. They varyfrom 3 to 11 feet high,21 to 6- feet broad,and from1I to 4 feetthick. I have not seen this circle myself,but it has been described aInd planned by Mr. Dymond in the " Journialof the British ArchaeologicalAssociation" and by Messrs.Lukis and Borlase in tlle work published by the Society of Antiquaries. Mr. T)ymondsays the diametersare from34 to 39 feet,Mr. Lukis -saysthe diameteris 361 feet,so perhaps he took the average. A small urn and other appearances of interment,which, how- ever,may very well have been post Roman,have been foundin the circle, anid lir. Lukis accordinglythought the circle was " probablythe enclosingring of a cairn whichhas been entirely removed." This is an ordinaryformula, but why so many cairnsshould have been entirelycarted out fromtheir enclosing rings as some arch&eologistswould have us believe is by no means clear. Mr. Dyinond says " Mr. Borlase now (1882) thinks it improbablethat there was a tumuluswithin or near to the Duloe circle.` The most importantand the least visited collection of molnumentsin Cornwall is situated on Bodmin Moors, clus- teringround Brown Willy, Rough Tor, Garrow,and Hawk's Tor. The two formerare the highestpoints in the county,and on theirslopes are greatnumbers of ruinedhuts and enclosures constructedof unshaped blocks of stone without mortar;-and also some small sepulchral circles,cists, etc. Amongstthem is one perfecthut which was described by the Rev. S. Baring- Gouldin the "Daily Graphic"of 4th September,1891. Although thereis no absoluteproof that thesehuts and circularenclosures were the dwellingsof the people who constructedthe circlesof separateupright stolnes which stand in their vicinityit seems mostprobable that theywere, and that all belongto the same period, and, if we nmayjudge of the Cornish huts from the resultsof the recentexcavations in the huts at Grimspoundand elsewhereon Dartmoor,that period must be a veryearly one. This content downloaded from 62.122.79.21 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 00:34:28 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions > > \ _= 7 a, -9 0~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0 w ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-zz "K I Nq ARTHUR'S H ALLI,"NEAR5T. BREWARD CORNWALL. Standino stonesblack, fallen stones and fragmentsshaded. This content downloaded from 62.122.79.21 on Mon, 16 Jun 2014 00:34:28 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions A. L. LEwIs.-PrehistoricRemains in C(ornwall. 5 No one who sees the hut circles and enclosuresside by side with the open stone circles,as they are on these moors,can doubt for a momiientwhich class any one of them belongs to, and it is importantto note this at a time when attemptsare being made to induce people to believe that Stonehengehas been roofed,and is only the skeletoinof a dwelling of the Mediterraneantype, and that the inner circles at Abury, though over 200 feet in diameter,were somethingof the same kind.