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Chûn
Castle
Morvah |
Penwith
NGR: SW 4050 3395 |
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Chûn Castle is an Iron Age hillfort on the summit of Chûn
Downs, commanding extensive views north and north-west to the
Atlantic Coast and south towards Mounts Bay. Pottery evidence from
excavations carried out in the late 1920s and early 1930s suggests
that the main period of occupation extended from the 3rd century BC
until the early 1st century AD, with a possible re-occupation in the
5th or 6th centuries AD.
It is roughly circular in plan with two impressive stone walls, each
with an external ditch. Within the interior are the remains of
several stone walled round houses, heavily disturbed by later
activity. One of these is oval in shape and may be connected with
the later phase of re-occupation of the site in the post-Roman
period. Traces of stony banks may be the remains of later animal
pounds. The only entrance to the site is a stone-lined passage
through the larger inner rampart on the west side with an offset
opening through outer rampart, suggesting a defensive function,
which is reinforced by a short length of bank outside of the opening
through the outer rampart providing defence in depth.
A furnace was discovered during the excavations on the northern edge
of the hillfort which contained traces of tin and iron slag,
indicating that mineral processing was carried out on site in the
Iron Age. Apart from pottery and stone artefacts, evidence for the
character of the occupation were scant however, the acid soils
having eaten away all traces of organic materials such as wood,
leather, bone, basketwork and woven fabrics.
Originally the entrance through the outer rampart was set in line
with the inner one and the entranceway was aligned towards the
Neolithic chamber tomb known as
Chûn Quoit,
though three or four thousand years separates the builders of these
two monuments. The modification to the entrance may have been part
of the later re-occupation of the site. In addition to
Chûn Quoit, which
is sited 250 metres west of the entrance, there are two other
prominent barrows on Chûn Downs, one sited to the north-west and
another to the south-west.
Nearby to the east lies the Romano-British courtyard house village
of Bosullow Trehyllys which may be broadly contemporary with the
hillfort, or may represent a shift in settlement patterns following
the abandonment of hillforts such as Chûn
Castle during the 1st century AD.
Chûn Castle occupies a
central position within one of eight identifiable territories in
West Penwith each of which is focussed on an imposing defended
hilltop. It sits within a landscape with abundant evidence for
occupation, agriculture and mineral exploitation spanning several
millennia.
The monument lies in open access land criss-crossed by several
public footpaths.
Sources
Gossip, J, 1999. Chûn Downs , Cornwall.
An Archaeological and Historical Assessment. Historic
Environment Service, Cornwall County Council. |
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Ground & Aerial photographs |
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