| |
|
|
| |
 |
|
Chysauster
Madron |
Penwith
NGR: SW 4722 3522 |
| |
 |
| |
The prehistoric courtyard house settlement known as Chysauster is
situated on the south-west facing slopes of a shallow valley with
clear views south to the sea. The remains of at least ten courtyard
houses and a fogou form a nucleated settlement within a well-defined
field system. The houses vary a little in size, layout and design,
but, broadly, all comprise an open courtyard defined by a massive
drystone wall with several internal structures, typically a round or
oval dwelling house built against the face of the wall opposite the
entrance, and long rooms, sometimes sub-divided into smaller
chambers, constructed lean-to style against the side walls. Most of
the courtyards have a covered drainage or culvert running through,
which may be to bring water to the site or to drain it way in wet
weather. Some parts of the interior, especially the entrances, are
paved with granite slabs, and the entrances open onto a ‘high
street’. It is most likely that the courtyard was open to the sky;
the other structures would have been thatched or turf-roofed. The
layout at Chysauster, when compared with other known courtyard house
settlements, seems to have been well planned with finds evidence
pointing to the main occupation phase dating to the 2nd and 3rd
Centuries AD.
There are numerous areas of surface irregularities in the
surrounding rough ground which may represent further courtyard
houses or an earlier phase of settlement going back to the Iron Age.
A fogou or underground chamber is sited close by; comprising a
long excavated trench lined and roofed with granite slabs, these
were often found in connection with Iron Age and Romano-British
settlements, although their function is still uncertain. Storage,
ritual or places of refuge have all been suggested. Chysauster’s
fogou is in a very poor state of preservation but may originally
have extended more than 16 metres in length. The surrounding area is
badly disturbed and it is possible that another courtyard house once
stood in this area.
Small stone walled terraces adjoining the houses are interpreted as
garden plots and the settlement as a whole lies within a very
extensive contemporary field system comprised of many fields
terraced into the hillslope and bordered by earth and stone banks
known as lynchets. The field pattern is characteristically later
prehistoric or Romano-British in date, and extends towards
Carnaquidden Downs to the north where earlier Bronze Age settlement
and field patterns can still be traced in the moorland. The massive
ramparts of the Iron Age hillfort known as Castle-an-Dinas crown the
hilltop. Clearly the area has been intensively exploited since at
least the middle Bronze Age.
The monument can be accessed by footpath from a car park which lies
on the road between Little Chysauster and Carnaquidden Farm and is
signposted. The site is in the guardianship of English Heritage and
an entry fee is payable. The remains are extensive and complex; the
EH guidebook has been recently revised and is a good investment to
accompany a site visit.
Sources
Coe, D, 2002. Chysauster Ancient Village, Gulval, Cornwall. English Heritage
Publications. |
| |
| |
|
|
|
Ground & Aerial photographs |
|
|
