Gunwalloe - Church Cove
View across Church Cove in Gunwalloe at the base of the Lizard Peninsula.
The church is St Winwalloe with it's distinctively seperate bell tower and surrounding Tamarisk hedge....
newlyn house
Wonderfully painted frontage....
rogers tower
A folly built 18th C, for Mr Rogers, a local landowner....
Wrong name, Dewgell. Isca (Dumnoniorum) was Exeter. You're thinking of Iktis which I'm pretty certain was the Mount, especially as Iron Age earthworks and evidence of it being a trading port in prehistoric and Roman times has come to light. Charles Thomas exp[lains Agnes in Scilly as British *ek-enes, 'off-island', and by analogy, I think that Iktis might be a slight misspelling (or mishearing) of *ek-tiros, 'off the land'. Of course there have been a number of claimants for Iktis, from the Mount to the Isle of Wight but it's original mention was closely tied in with an account of tin-trading in the Land's End peninsula. No-one was then going to transport tin in wagons to an island 50 or 200 miles away but one close at hand. It has to be the Mount and the network of prehistoric trackways in the area support this to the hilt - one actually leads to the shore right opposite the Mount and links up with the major tin-producing areas.
Marhak, wasn't it Borlase in the 1600s (?)who said that a sqirrel could get from Land's End to London "tree to tree" without having to set foot on the ground?
STOP THE PRESS - we have a second Roman fort in Cornwall confirmed. More on this tomorrow but I had to find it in a publication by the DEVON archaeological society. The article was written by two members of Cornwall Council's Historic Environment Unit. The qiestion has to be asked. As WE are paying them, why is this not being published in Cornwall?
Tomorrow, I'll tell you where the site is (and it has been suspected as a Roman fort for a while) and more about it. If our own paid employees won't tell you (but will tell Devon), I will. Unpaid (as usual).
Cornwall's second Roman fort stands a few hundred metres SW of Restormel Castle. It's pretty much ploughed down, so there's not a huge amount to see on site but, if you want to tie it right down and you know your OS grid refs, it's SX 102611, and marked as 'Settlement' on the 1:25,000 Exploer Map No. 107 (St Austell and Liskeard).
It's been suspected to be a Roman fort for yonks but only this year has conclusive proof come forward, through collating all the finds picked up by field-walking and a geophysical survey. 75% of the finds were imported Continental and Mediterranean material. The magnetometer survey picked up the oblong shape (about 70m x 60m)with rounded corners (the classic playing card shape, only slightly shortened) and - the clincher -an entrance in the centre of all four sides. It also showed hints of buildings and 3 burnt areas inside (probably ovens, furnaces, etc.). There are two banks and ditches outside the central oblong.
Nanstallon was only used for about 20 years in the 1st century AD - the Restormel fort appears to have used continuously throughout the Roman period. It's only 5 miles from Nanstallon, with the higher ridge between them (and Castle Canyke, Cornwall's biggest hill fort, sits on top of that, on the E edge of Bodmin).
The siting of the 2 Roman forts in fascinating. Both are on hillspurs overlooking what was then the highest navigable part of a major river (the Camel and the Fowey), so it rather suggests that the major movement of Roman troops, traders etc to the forts, was by sea. Nanstallon is close to major mineral bearing areas; Restormel is just 300m from a major lode of iron.
If the fort (and the site) was as important as it seems to have been, it would go some way towards explaining why Restormel Castle was sited next door in the 13th century. It's far too early to say, but I wonder if this could be the 'Voliba' on Ptolemy's map?
This news has got me going a bit. Maps out - time to scan the areas around the highest navigable parts of the Hayle, Fal, Helford and Tamar (keep me quiet for a while).
There is a few castles in Hayle , Castle hayle , near the villiage of Reawla. It is also ploughed down , but i think its more a celtic castle then roman. As are the ones i have viited in zennor moor.
But does his mean that the romans invaded cornwall? Could it be that they were just given an outpost by the cornish. Or even both of these were in the North protecting rivers that almost cut eachother off , maybe that was the extent of the roman empire , to the Camel and Fowey and built two forts to protect the passage. So maybe West cornwall was never roman , but they traded.
Are these not close to the traditional trading roots that ran across Cornwall, to the south (Fowey) to Brittany and Europe... to the north (Camel) to Wales and Ireland... Does that not seem a large coincidence? It would have avoided the risk of sailing around the lizard and lands end!
Nosdan is right. Both Nanstallon and Restormel are close to the old transpeninsular route from the Camel to the Fowey (which was rather more direct than the modern "reconstruction" called The Saint's Way. Officialdom does this - Hugh Miners and I rediscovered and retraced the entire Tinners' Way but that didn't stop official publicists from altering its route to suit themselves. One version even has the Zennor church path as part of the Tinners' Way!!!!!
IF this is correct, then the Romans must of had a very good reason to protect it? Why do you think they did? Did the Romans have any business with the Irish? or the Welsh? Any ideas Marhak?
My immediate reaction is that the Romans weren't intedning to protect it but, rather, control and exact dues from those using it. They were heavily involved in Wales and mineral extraction there. Ireland, no, although they did (apparently) land there. And, of course, they'd occupied and controlled Brittany for a century before turning up in Kernow. At this point, they (and not the Atlantic Celts) were controlling the Atlantic seaways so I think these two forts might have been part of it. Needs more thought, though. That's just a first reaction.
Yes, Coady, there are suspicions about this site, too, but nothing conclusive has yet been found. It's too small to be a Roman fort, but a signal station is a distinct possibility, perhaps as a navigational aid for shipping.
The only concern I have about that is that Carnsew Fort (now "The Plantation") looks to have been the main trading centre and could have provided a navigational beacon only visible from a ship in the bay when in safe line with the channel (which was deeper then than now, but just as narrow).
I was looking at multimap and was wonder if the aparent square in square marks in the large field to the southeast of the junction between the King Harry road and turnawar around was anything interesting. Given that this site would give a good view across the Fal and direct access to St Just creek and pool?
If there would be any large roman outpost or celtic centre in Cornwall I would have thought it would have a good chance of being on the Roseland as this would be one of the most hospitable spots in terms of subsistence with easy marine access
Tiocfaidh ar La,
But I'm starting to think that it won't for us cornish, no unity, no leadership, but lots of factions and backbiting
The Bureaucracy needs to expand to meet the needs of the Bureaucracy
Man in court over shooting death
A man appears in court charged with murdering the father of his former girlfriend in Cornwall.
Robbery gang sentenced for raids
Five members of an armed gang who committed offences in Devon and Cornwall are sentenced.
Sailor in Spain saved by 999 call
Falmouth Coastguard coordinates the rescue of a missing sailor off Spain after his wife dials 999 in England.
Review urged over toll rise plans
Councillors in Cornwall want plans for a 50% increase in toll charges to cross the River Tamar to be reviewed.
Safety DVD helps migrant workers
A safety DVD aimed at helping migrant workers in Cornwall settle into life in the county is released.
Sex case teacher 'compassionate'
A former outdoor pursuits instructor accused of abusing children tells a court he dealt with pupils compassionately.
MK CALL ON SW RDA TO SUPPORT SOUTH CROFTY PLAN
Members of the Camborne and Redruth constituency party of Mebyon Kernow have called on both the South West Regional Development Agency (RDA) and the Urban Regeneration Company (URC) for the area to drop any opposition to the current re-opening of South Crofty Mine. The MK members want statements issued in support of the mine.
