Archaeology

on

Carn Brea

 

Carn Brea is famous for many things, but the most obvious is surely the visible history on its' summit and flanks. The most striking from a distance are the castle and monument. When your are on the Carn the dramatic Iron-Age hut circles are easily visible. 

The only authoritative book on the history of Carn Brea was written my Michael Tangye in 1981, published by Dyllansow Truan (now Tormark Publications).  Michael is a well respected local historian and President of the CBPG.

 

Carn Brea Castle

 

The Monument

Dedicated to Sir Francis Basset, Lord d'Dunstanville, the inscription upon this 90 foot high (30 metre) granite edifice reads "The County of Cornwall to the memory of Francis Lord de Dunstanville and Basset A.D. 1836."

Neolithic settlement

The earliest recorded Neolithic settlement at Carn Brea was an enclosure near the Castle. Historians suggest that the settlement was occupied between around 3700 and 3400 BC. There is a 2 acre inner enclosure surrounded by a larger 11 acre one. The ramparts around these sites consisted of stone walls with an earth bank and ditch, much of whoch can still be found today on the Carn. There are 14 recorded ‘long-houses’. The site was excavated between 1970 and 1973 by Roger Mercer, who estabished that a population of between 100 and 150 people used to occupy the site.

The finding of 700 flint arrowheads at the site suggest that Carn Brea may have been the site of violent scenes in the past as warring tribes fought over the area. Every timber structure on the site seems to have been burnt at some time, the charcoal being the only organic matter that survived the acidic soils. The earthworks, which have suffered some notable 20 th Century damage, may also have been deliberately damaged by other tribes.

 

Hut Circles & Ramparts

There are over one hundred of these features ranging from the dramatic ones, like the one opposite, to more obscure and partially hidden examples. This photo was taken in March 1997.  The Basset memorial can be seen on the sumit behind.

[Photo by Anne Lenten]

 

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