Events

Events in brief

CAS SUMMER EXCAVATION (2009) CORNWALL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY EXCAVATIONS AT CARN GALVA AND BOSPORTHENNIS FARM The Cornwall Archaeological Society will be undertaking a two week excavation project at two National Trust owned archaeological sites in the Penwith area. The first is thought to be an ancient settlement site dating back to the Early Neolithic (c. 3800-3600 BC) located near the summit of Carn Galva. The second is the site of a probable Neolithic chambered tomb, partially excavated in 1872 by local antiquarian William Copeland Borlase and located at nearby Bosporthennis Farm. It is hoped that both excavations will throw further light on the lives of the people who lived in West Penwith during the prehistoric past, and will lead to the recovery of artefacts and dating evidence from this enigmatic time. Andy Jones, who will be directing the excavations, says that “we are hoping to find evidence relating to the way that the Penwith area was occupied some 6000 years ago, and are expecting to find artefacts such as flint, pottery and worked stone”. The project is being undertaken with the full support of the National Trust. Jon Brookes, West Penwith’s Property Manager said “we have been keen to see the investigation of these ancient sites for some time, and are very pleased to support the Cornwall Archaeological Society in their endeavours”. As part of the project there will be two open days so that the public can visit the sites whist they are being excavated, and find out what discoveries have been made. Anyone interested in attending either of these events can call the West Penwith National Trust Office for dates, times and further details on 01736 796993 (contact: Wyn Brookes)

A new light on Dark Age Gunwalloe: excavations summer 2010 This summer volunteers from CAS and MAG carried out a week of recording and excavation at the early medieval site at Gunwalloe on the Lizard Peninsula. The site was first identified in 1909 and has captured the interest and imagination of local residents and archaeologists who have sadly witnessed the archaeological features eroding out of the cliff face every winter. The archaeological remains belong to a possible settlement in the sand dunes dating to between the 7^th and 10^th centuries AD. In the past, evidence of structures, hearths and middens have been identified in the cliff face and investigations by Caradoc Peters and Charles Thomas confirmed it as a settlement site. It has been the focus of my PhD research for the past three years, over which time I have carried out pottery analysis and acquired the first carbon date for the site. These investigations and the winter storms have produced large quantities of Grassmarked pottery, including Bar-Lug cauldrons, cooking pots, platters and dishes. Rural settlements dating to this period are very rare in the rest of the country and we are lucky in Cornwall to have such good ceramic evidence for possible sites, especially at Gwithian and Gunwalloe. It is for this reason that the National Trust landowners have decided to take action against the continual erosion by investigating the settlement before it disappears off the cliff forever. A collaborative project has been established between me, based at Exeter University, and the National Trust archaeology officers, Shirley Blaylock and James Parry, to achieve a common goal. Therefore, this year an agreed program of recording to monitor the erosion in the field behind the coastal path was initiated to establish the condition and nature of the archaeological remains exposed. Thanks to the help of the farmer, John Curtis of Winnianton Farm, and Mike Hardy, the area warden for the Penrose Estate, the work went ahead in the last week of July. Unfortunately, two weeks before work was due to begin the site was robbed by unknown persons, who removed an entire shell midden and disturbed some important archaeological features causing great destruction to a site that is already in great need of protection and recording. Despite this the week was a great success and the results exceeded all expectations! This fieldwork was carried out by a steadfast and skilled team composed of Christine Wilson, Chris Verran, Priscilla Oates, Megan Reed, Barbara Powell, Stephen Brooks and others, under the direction of myself and Dr. Bryn Morris. The fieldwork involved straightening sections of exposed archaeology, sieving all the spoil created and recording the features in the sections. This work revealed a midden, a possible hearth, a clay floor surface, pits filled with charcoal, occupation layers and a section of a clay- bonded revetted stone wall. The midden was roughly a metre in depth and over a metre deep, which produced sherds of Grassmarked cooking pots, dishes and Bar-lug cauldrons, along with evidence of a very varied diet for the occupants of the settlement. The diet included limpets, mussels, cockles, winkles, crab, fish, chickens, sheep, pigs, cows and other species yet to be identified. These remains were found elsewhere on the site and suggest the occupants of the settlement were both farmers and fishermen. The hearth was identified as an area of burnt sand and clay with charcoal pieces. To the right of this was a dark compacted clay surface containing many sherds of Grassmarked pottery. It also contained small splinters of burnt bone, which did not occur elsewhere in such quantities, perhaps suggesting the accidental loss of food waste consistent with an eating area. To the left of the hearth was a layer through which some shallow pits, containing charcoal, had been cut suggesting another occupation surface. The extent of these contemporary features in the section was around ten metres suggesting a general occupation area which could have included the interior and exterior of a house, although no walls or post holes were found to support this. The rest of the section revealed dark layers in the sand which also suggested phases of human occupation in the area due to the pottery and bone found within them. The distribution of pottery and bone could suggest that the houses with their middens were disturbed at a later date or generally overflowed throughout the settlement when it was occupied. Therefore, the cleaning and recording of the sections was very successful in identifying features and retrieving many artefacts which suggest that the settlement was extensive and that the erosion of the current land surface is likely to disturb these features gradually over time. However, an unexpected and most exciting discovery was found whilst taking environmental samples. The environmental samples, taken by Dr. Ben Pears from Exeter University and Tom Walker from Reading University, were to investigate the soil micro- morphology (what the soil is made of) and the mollusc record (snails that lived in different environments) to help us understand what the landscape was like when the settlement was occupied. In the process of doing so they found a line of stones two metres below the turf, which when revealed, proved to be the exterior of a clay-bonded revetted stone wall! The wall was created much like a Cornish hedge with the neat stone face on the interior of the building and the exterior reinforced with midden material and soil behind which was no stone. The foundation of the house was cut into earlier soil containing waste from middens, so the interior surface may have been in a hollow. The wall was straight suggesting a rectangular house which from the outside would have presumably looked like an earth bank with a roof on top, which one could imagine would be ideal to shelter its occupants from the winter storms. Based on the absence of archaeological material in the cliff face and the walls projected orientation, it suggests that the rest of the structure may be intact underneath two metres of sand and only three metres from the cliff edge upon which a rectangular platform can be seen. The midden material supporting the walls produced another astonishing find, a sherd of pottery, with what looks like the beginning of an external strap handle. This is a previously unknown form of pottery for this period, presumably belonging to the Grassmarked tradition. The high level of preservation also resulted in the frequent discovery of extremely delicate fish bones and even a jaw containing teeth and much more animal, bird, shellfish and crab remains. There was only 0.10m of the interior visible which did not allow excavation, but the fill of the house was composed of clean wind blown sand, suggesting the house was consumed by the dunes after it was abandoned. Interestingly, the wall foundations were above other layers of windblown sand and more midden material suggesting earlier occupation on the site. Charcoal samples were taken from layers below and above the wall including charcoal from within the clay of the wall its self, which with further funding, will provide the first carbon dates for the occupation phase of an early medieval house in Cornwall. The results of the recording in the field combined with the discovery of a possible structure on the cliffs have contributed greatly to our understanding of the site. It is now possible to estimate, based on current and previous investigations, that the settlement stretched over 370 metres from the church along the current coastline and possibly 100 metres inland, with around 70 metres already lost to the sea through erosion. This represents the largest 7^th-9^th century rural settlement for both Cornwall and Devon and suggests the location was of great importance in that period to warrant such a large community. Why was Gunwalloe such an important place? The answer may be in the name, the origin of which is the Winwaloe which is the name of the most commonly dedicated saint in Cornwall. Historic documents suggest that St. Winwaloe was born in Cornwall but studied in Brittany and came back to convert the Cornish people to Christianity. It is possible that St. Winwaloe may have visited the site in the 6^th century AD and perhaps lived in a rock cut hermitage in the cliffs at the current location of the church tower. This would have made the area a place of worship perhaps associated with the Bretton monastery of Landévennec giving its name to the current parish of Landewednack. The site continued to be important in to the 11^th century, as the Domesday Book in 1086 tells us there was a Royal Manor at Winnianton, which owned more land than any other Manor in Cornwall or Devon. This suggests that area must have been well populated and wealthy, where local people would come to pay their taxes to the king. The archaeological evidence uncovered this summer has dramatically expanded our knowledge of this period in Cornwall and the results of the environmental analysis and carbon dates are eagerly awaited. It is clear that any future fieldwork will further this contribution and rescue a valuable part of Cornwall’s past from falling into the sea. Imogen Wood

The team working on cleaning the section

The excavation team from left: Chris Verran, Priscilla Oates, Christine Wilson, Mathew, Ben Pears, Tom Walker, Bryn Morris and Imogen Wood at front.

The wall interior and exterior facing the section

Fish jaw bone with teeth

New pottery form with external handle