The moors of West Penwith sloping southwards towards Mounts Bay have more than their fair share of archaeological treasures. This fragile moorland and its prehistoric remains have in the modern period been threatened first by mining, then by industrialized farming methods and finally by the pressures of tourism and, according to some, by unsympathetic environmental … Continue reading The Men Scryfa
Category: ancient history
Cornwall’s pyramids
It’s recently been claimed by a TV chef that Cornwall’s chambered tombs, known locally as quoits, were our equivalent to the pyramids. Actually, they were probably built a bit earlier, usually dated to around 3,500 to 2,500BC. (The great age of Egyptian fourth dynasty pyramid building was 2,613-2,494BC.) Chambered tombs are the oldest built element … Continue reading Cornwall’s pyramids
The standing stones of Cornwall
Cornwall is known for its stones, which can conveniently be divided into three main types dating from three different periods. One of the pair of stones known as the Pipers in West Penwith, the tallest stone still standing The first, and most active, period of erecting stones in the landscape was the early bronze age, … Continue reading The standing stones of Cornwall
Warbstow Bury
One of Cornwall’s most impressive hillforts is Warbstow Bury in north Cornwall. Overlooking the River Ottery around a mile to the north, it’s easy to imagine Cornish warriors using this fort to look across the valley, monitoring events there in the 810s or thereabouts. That was when the English were settling the land north of … Continue reading Warbstow Bury
Carn Brea: sentiment and settlement
Like the Tamar Bridge, or the clay tips of mid-Cornwall, Carn Brea is one those iconic Cornish landmarks. It’s a reminder of home, an unmistakable landscape element standing sentinel over Cornwall’s central mining district. It was that location, at the heart of the most populous and dynamic district of Cornwall in the late 1700s and … Continue reading Carn Brea: sentiment and settlement
Castle an Dinas
Castle an Dinas in mid-Cornwall is one of our most impressive hillforts. The hill, around 700 feet above sea level and with commanding views, was already important for people in the neolithic period, before 2500BC. They had erected two barrows on the hilltop to house their dead. Then, in the late Bronze Age, around 1500-800BC, … Continue reading Castle an Dinas
