Ertach Kernow - Cornish ancient sites on heritage risk list
Cornish historic heritage sites are an important part of Cornwall's economy, especially if we wish to encourage quality tourist who tend to take greater interest in our culture and history. The Heritage at Risk register published last year had nearly 40 pages relating to Cornish buildings and locations, several covered by Ertach Kernow last November. Buildings which include many churches and chapels are more high profile, but there are large numbers of less well-known sites dating back to the Bronze and Iron Ages in desperate need of care. Marking the 80th anniversary of the Council for British Archaeology this is our second related article and hopefully along with the rebirth of the Cornwall Young Archaeologist Club encourage more people to get involved.
The danger to these locations besides negative human intervention are often outside our control with coastal erosion and collapse part of inevitable unstoppable environmental dangers. Many sites are deteriorating through the action of animal burrowing and growth of tree’s and scrub including aggressive invasive plants. These plants gradually break up any archaeological remains and if not held in check destroy these historic places. Often these are on private land, and it would be hoped that landowners would take some pride in maintaining the archaeology for future generations. Obviously there is a cost and much of this might be down to labour, however, there are people and groups throughout Cornwall who may be interested in scrub clearance projects with the right mentoring, encouragement and local government or grant support to help cover equipment expenses.
Within Cornwall there are 176 sites of Cornish historic heritage archaeological interest which are under threat due to one or more of the dangers mentioned, many might just require regular maintenance once an initial scrub-bashing session has taken place. Some who carryout this work are well-known Cornwall wide organisations and I’m sure that other groups given local support could be formed even if just to maintain one or two sites within their areas. Here we take an overview of four Cornish lesser-known hillforts and a medieval castles which are on the at-risk register.
As always click the images for larger view
Dingerein Castle is a small hillfort and annexe near Gerrans. The inner rampart is almost complete with a width of 100 metres standing some 3.5 meters high and an outer rampart 2.6 metres high externally. This was noted by John Leland during his travels around Cornwall saying ‘About a myle by west of Penare is a force nere the shore in the paroche of S. Geron's.a It is single dikyd, and within a but shot of the north side of the same apperith an hole of a vault broken up by a plough yn tylling. This vault had an issue from the castelle to the se. [A mile] dim. from this [force] is another in the side of an hille.’ The vault Leland mentions is believed to have been a fogou, now lost. This hillfort is said to have links with King Gereint of Dumnonia who was killed at the Battle of Carrick in 598 thus ‘Din’ meaning fort and ‘gerein’ after the king provides its name, with the nearby settlement of Gerrans also named after the king. Recently work has been carried out on this scheduled monument by volunteers on the AONB project and Gerrans and Porthscatho Old Cornwall Society to clear scrub and invasive plants. The Historic England report still lists this site but that the trend is improving. Situated on private land this maintenance project had the support of the landowner and a great example of landowner, volunteers and organisations working together to at least stabilise an important historic site. It may not have impressive ramparts and ditches such as is found elsewhere but it does have significance to Cornish history, more of which should be shared especially in schools.
The English civil war of the 12th century, generally known as the Anarchy, also left its mark on Cornwall. At his death Henry I left just one legitimate daughter Matilda, also known as Maud and over twenty illegitimate children by various mistresses. One of these Reginald de Dunstanville would become the Earl of Cornwall another Robert FitzRoy, Earl of Gloucester also known as Robert de Caen, King Henry’s eldest son, owned land around Kilkhampton. It was Robert who was Matilda’s chief supporter during the Anarchy also supported by Reginald Earl of Cornwall. It was a period when a number of adulterine castles were constructed, those built without authorisation from the king. The castle of Penstowe better known as Kilkhampton Castle was one of these, believed to have been built during the Anarchy by Robert of Gloucester. The war ending with a lifetime kingship for Stephen to be succeeded by Matilda’s son as King Henry II. During this period many adulterine castles were destroyed, perhaps Kilkhampton was one of these. There is no documentation from that time and first mention was in the Stowe Atlas of 1694. Excavations were begun in 1925 by Cornish historian Charles Henderson followed in the 1950’s by J. S P. Bradford when 12th century pottery sherds were discovered. What can be seen today are the remnants of a motte and bailey castle with a steep-sided oval mound measuring up to six metres high and surrounded by a ditch of up to eight metres wide and about three and a half metres deep with a rampart bank at the motte summit. Adjacent is a rectangular inner bailey, separated from a D-shaped outer bailey by a V-shaped ditch up to eight metres wide and one and a half metres deep. Both baileys are defined by ramparts and surrounding outer ditches.
This property owned by the National Trust has been classified as ‘generally satisfactory but with significant localised problems’ but improving. The main vulnerability is from scrub and tree growth and where volunteers working with the National Trust could benefit this site. On the outskirts of Kilkhampton are remains of what is known as ‘Winswood Castle’ or camp, an Iron Age or Romano-British defended settlement generally called a round. Ordnance Survey have recorded this site since the 19th century and although no longer on the at-risk register gradual commercial encroachment since 2000 and long-term ploughing has left little of this site remaining.
Stowe’s Hill the seventh highest tor on Bodmin Moor is perhaps best known for the Cheesewring, which receives most attention. This includes from the 16th century cartographer John Norden and shortly afterwards Richard Carew of Antony in his 1602 Survey of Cornwall. It is also home of some important archaeology and part of an extensive Scheduled Monument area. This contains a prehistoric hillfort, two cairns, medieval pound and adjacent prehistoric field systems, with hut circles and transhumance huts on Stowe's Hill and lies within one of Cornwall’s AONB’s.
Listed on the Heritage at Risk register the site is described as ‘generally satisfactory but with significant localised problems’ but with a declining trend. As always there are the issues of plant growth although grass is kept under control by small scale sheep grazing. Significant heritage vandalism, now fortunately declining, peaked about 2017 with stones removed from the archaeology and built into ‘artistic’ towers, which might look pretty but is detrimental to the site taking time for volunteers to dismantle and replace. Volunteers working mainly through the Cornwall Archaeological Society receive training and use of the Historic England vandalism recording sheet. It is widely felt that interpretation boards detailing information of the site and perhaps a warning against unlawful heritage vandalism would be a great benefit.
The small multivallate hillfort near Ludgvan known as 'Castle-an-Dinas' also contains an 18th century folly called 'Roger's Tower' within its ramparts. This site is far less well-known than the more famous and larger Castle an Dinas near St Columb Major. It was observed by Dr William Borlase in the mid-18th century when he wrote ‘Castle-an-Dinas consisted of two stone walls, one within the other in a circular form, surrounding the area of the hill. The ruins are now fallen on each side of the walls and show the work to have been of great height and thickness. There was also a third or outer wall, built more than halfway round. Within the walls are many little inclosures of a circular form, about seven yards in diameter, with little walls round them of two or three feet high ; they appear to have been so many huts for the shelter of the garrison. The diameter of the whole fort from east to west is 400 feet, and the principal ditch 60 feet. Towards the south the sides of the hill are marked by two large green paths about 10 feet wide.’ Since then the small folly was built, it’s thought by John Rogers of Treassowe a wealthy local landowner of that time. This is a grade II listed building and the hillfort site itself a scheduled monument. There is less to be seen than in Borlase’s time due to stone removed from ramparts to build the tower, general erosion and burial of some of the original features. Heritage at Risk Register notes that the trend for this site is stable but generally unsatisfactory with major localised problems, especially plant growth. There are potential future issues relating to the nearby granite quarry and that the land is owned by a number of landowners so work on the site might prove problematical.
Although this covers a very small selection of the many archaeological sites at risk in Cornwall, from prehistoric times through to the mid-medieval period, all are an important part of our rich Cornish history and well worth preserving. Do people really care enough to help save our Cornish historic heritage.
Our ongoing Cornish Place Names project promoting knowledge about the Cornish language names of Kernow's towns, villages and places. Downloadable poster and audio pronunciation is available via this link to 'Dowr / Rivers'. Click image to access.
