Thread by @JamieAshle

#PrehistoryOfPenwith: A Thread

The end of #Cornwall where I live, #Penwith, is incredibly rich in prehistory.

I know very little about our standing stones/circles and fogous so this thread's here for me to learn a bit more and share my photos.

Please contribute!
#megalithic

I'll start things off with Tregeseal East Stone Circle ('The Dancing Stones'). 19 stones, once part of a system of 2 or even 3 circles.

Under Carn Kenidjack 'The Hooting Cairn' with Tregeseal Holed Stones nearby. A fantastic place.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith
#megalithic

Boskednan Circle ('The Nine Maidens')

19 stones, possibly part of the Carn Galver processional route.

Sometimes overlooked due to being near the more famous Mên-an-Tol but one of my favourites. An hour here at dusk, alone, is really very special.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Boskednan Menhir

A short walk along the path from Boskednan Stone Circle is this odd triangular stone pointing towards Carn Galver outcrop on the horizon. Part of a burial mound? Roofstone from a tomb? Or a standing stone in its own right?

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

'Women turned to stone for dancing on The Sabbath' is a common folklore theme of #Penwith prehistory. The Sisters (aka Drift Stones) are said to have met this fate for dancing to the tune of The Blind Fiddler in nearby Catchall.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith
#megalithic

Similarly, The Merry Maidens near Lamorna were apparently petrified for dancing with The Pipers, the impressive 4m+ megaliths in a nearby field. As with Tregeseal East above, The Merry Maidens were once accompanied by another stone circle.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith
#megalithic

I think I'm right in saying that Boscawen-Ûn is the only Penwith circle without a petrification story. It's probably my favourite local circle.19 stones in a beautifully secluded little vale. I've watched a Midsummer sunrise here and it was otherworldly.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Zennor Quoit, a prehistoric burial chamber is thought to be c.3500 to 4500 years old. Exterior stones may have been used to prop up corpses for disposal by the local wildlife, Tibetan 'Sky Burial' style. Capstone has slipped since the 1769 sketch attached.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Tregeseal Holed Stones, near Carn Kenidjack.

5 stones, 4 with holes and 3 seemingly aligned to a nearby barrow. Very close to Tregeseal Stone Circle, cists, entrance graves, the lot. Much speculation on purpose (handfasting?) but nobody's really sure.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

More photos of Tregeseal Stone Circles. The last one is from the destroyed twin circle that used to be next to the existing one. Now that I know where to look I'll try and find some more stones from this circle- there are 3 or 4 in the hedge, I'm told.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Chûn Quoit is in good nick for a burial mound that's c.4000 years old. Old sketches attached show it's not changed much since the 18thC. Surprised the later builders of Chûn Castle didn't rob any of it. Out of respect? Or was the stone still buried then?

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Boswens Croft Menhir (The Long Stone) from an even earlier era than nearby Chûn Quoit I believe. A fantastically atmospheric spot you can usually have to yourself. I really love this one. 18thc Borlase sketch shows it was part of a cairn once.

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#megalithic

Almost the #solstice so I popped along to Boscawen-Ûn this evening to see the circle and to find 2 nearby standing stones that I'd never seen before. Pity one of them's now part of a Cornish hedge but the first one seen here is a real beauty.

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#megalithic

Ruined in the 1960's, Tregeseal West stone circle has some stones remaining in the hedge.

1. Fairly sure of this one.
2. These 2 looked suspiciously large/dumped/not really part of the hedge. (?)
3. Another one?

Feel free to comment / speculate / mock me!

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

The Mên-an-Tol aka The Crick Stone.

Thought to be 3-4000 years old and part of a larger stone circle once.

Cures rickets*, alleviates back pain*, helps you get pregnant*, makes you look a bit stupid when you climb through it**. 😳

*Allegedly
** Confirmed

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Lanyon Quoit, probably our most dramatic dolmen. Much altered as it was put back up differently after a 19thc storm. c.4-5000 yrs old. Capstone weighs over 14 tons.

A wonderful spot - I had it to myself for half an hour last night as the sun went down.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Mên Scryfa.

Inscribed stone that reads "Rialobrani Cunovali fili" or "Royal Raven, Son of Cunoval."

We've Caer Bran (Crow/Raven Fort) nearby so that may be a link. Its age is uncertain but the inscription is thought to be medieval, the stone prehistoric.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Watch Croft standing stone sits up on Penwith's highest hill.

1.9m high but I get the feeling the exposed spot has diminished it a bit over the years. Settlements/cairns very close by and Mên-An-Tol, Boskednan stone circle etc all just a few fields away.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Chapel Carn Brea, the first and last hill in mainland Britain, has a Neolithic entrance grave under the remains of a medieval chapel, cairns and hut circles. Views as far as The Lizard in one direction, The Isles of Scilly in the other. More ... 👇

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Fact 1.The Chapel above the entrance grave looked like this. It was home to a hermit who was once reprimanded by the vicar of St Buryan for interfering with the weather. 😎

Fact 2. Chapel Carn Brea is out the back of my house. If you're visiting, I've usually got the kettle on.

The skyline on the moors behind Zennor is dominated by the twin-peaked tor enclosure of Carn Galver. There are some remains of a settlement on it but there's also a school of thought that thinks Carn Galver the objective of an ancient processional route.

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There are many ancient monuments nearby and Carn Galver is visible from most of them. I walked through some of the stone circles and standing stones to Carn Galver today and followed what I supposed was part of the processional route.

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The view from the top is stunning.

Was Carn Galver a seat of power? A sacred place? A settlement easy to defend due to the panoramic view? None of the above?

Either way I enjoyed my walk and its connection to our shared past, no matter how tenuous.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Boskednan Stone Circle / The Nine Maidens in yesterday's sunshine. Part of the processional route thought to lead to Carn Galver. Pics 2 & 3 taken earlier. The taller stone is quite imposing. I'm about 5'9" and as you can see it's a fair bit taller than me.

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I came across Treen Standing Stone by accident.

I'd never heard of it but according to the @megportal it is a modern stone possibly erected on the site of an older, fallen stone. There have been plenty destroyed in the last century so nice to see the balance redressed a bit.

@megportal Carfury Standing Stone takes a bit of finding/battling through the undergrowth. A 10ft giant though so well worth it. Pretty remote so you're guaranteed to have it to yourself. Lovely peaceful ½ hour up there today.

Thanks to @thesweetcheat
for directions.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

@megportal @thesweetcheat Tredinney Cairn, just below Chapel Carn Brea on Bartinney Downs. A kerbed cairn/barrow excavated by Borlase (the younger) in 1868 who discovered an urn filled with bones & flint. I've only recently learned about this one. Just out the back of my house.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

@megportal @thesweetcheat Carn Euny, an Iron Age village of courtyard houses thought to have been occupied intermittently from around 2400 years ago. Courtyard houses unique to Penwith as are fogous, the mysterious underground tunnel that runs through it.👇

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

No-one's really sure why these remarkably well-engineered tunnels crop up at a few of our ancient sites. Shelter? Food storage? Ritual/religious reasons? The Carn Euny fogou has an impressive domed ante-chamber as well as a curved underground passageway.

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Short of visiting, the best way to get a feel for Carn Euny fogou is with this excellent 3D capture from @Matterport.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

matterport.com/3d-space/carn-…

@Matterport Try Menhir is hidden away in a field just off Gear Hill. Close to Mulfra Quoit & the settlements of Mulfra Vean, Chysauster & Bodrifty. Excavated in the 50's and 60's when a cist with an intact beaker & cremated and unburnt bones were discovered.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith
#megalithic

Mulfra Quoit is a Neolithic dolmen similar to Chûn☝️although with a presumably slipped capstone. Fine views to the coast & Carfury Stone☝️can also be seen across the valley to the West. Possibly as much as 4000 years old so in pretty good shape considering.

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My first visit to Bosullow Trehyllys settlement today. Romano-British courtyard houses (like Carn Euny) so 2nd-4th century AD. Possible remains of a collapsed fogou. Much bigger than I expected. May even have rivaled Chysauster in its day.

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Some of the outlying stones hint that Bosullow Trehyllys may have been more extensive than the remaining huts. This isn't a great photo but hopefully it gives an idea of the size of the site.

Recently cleared by @PenwithLP I believe, thanks for that.👍

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Ballowal Barrow/Carn Gluze.

Bronze Age, double-walled with remains of cists and possible graves. Views to Lands End/Scillies. Layout is odd due to some insensitive excavation but as it was lost entirely under mining works for many years I'm not complaining.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Trelew Standing Stone is in a field near St Buryan.

A giant! 10 ft or so, I'd imagine. It's a twisted, curved piece of granite so looks very different from each angle.

Cremated remains,calcified bones etc found in a pit nearby by Borlase in the 19thC.

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Just want to say thanks/give a plug to the @megportal for pointing me in the direction of some of the less well-known stones on this thread. Even I can follow directions as easy as these.

'The Old Stones' is a great book, too.

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#megalithic
#theoldstones

Lower Boscaswell Fogou isn't as well-preserved as Carn Euny. Sea view though. At least 17 feet of tunnel once. 2 access points left & still big enough to climb into.

What was it for? As with Carn Euny, we can't be sure and I'm perfectly happy with that. 👍

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Chypraze Barrow was lost to the gorse for years until a fire revealed it. I'd never heard of it but spotted it when walking the SW Coast Path and the @megportal confirmed it. Stone ring with what looked to my untrained eye like a cist inside.

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@megportal The area around the dramatic rock outcrop of Carn Kenidjack is particularly rich in prehistory, even by #Penwith standards. I've been wondering about it being the focal point of a processional route similar to Carn Galver mentioned above. ☝️

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

I've zero evidence for this so please don't quote me but these are the things that preoccupy me as I wander our ancient sites. Portherras Barrow is near the Carn. Central cist with its capstone intact. Stone circles, holed stones and much more all close by.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Gun Rith standing stone sometimes gets overlooked due to being so close to the Merry Maidens stone circle. A pity, as it's huge, 11 ft or so. This area was important to our ancestors: The Pipers, Tregiffian Barrow and a possible holed stone all very near.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Within sight of Gun Rith and The Merry Maidens is Tregiffian Burial Chamber. Urns discovered here dated at c.4000 years old. The cup-marked stone in Pic 2 is possibly early rock art or even a kind of calendar. Partly destroyed by the road in the 19thC sadly.

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Boleigh Holed Stone is over the road from the Merry Maidens. As it's being used as a gate post I was unsure if this was ancient at first but a little googling says it's Bronze Age.

The hole looks similarly-sized compared to the Tregeseal stones (Pics 2/3).

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Tregeseal Barrow is a chambered tomb near Tregeseal Stone Circle/Holed Stones (see above). Surrounded by a mound with some of the kerbstones still in place, it once had a cist in which an intact urn & cremated bones were found. Approx 3-4000 years old.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Some #PrehistoryOfPenwith from today's walk. All possibly part of the Carn Galver processional route mentioned upthread ☝️ Muddy underfoot but a beautiful day out there today. ☀️

1. Boskednan Stone Circle (The Nine Maidens)
2. Lanyon Quoit
3. Mên Scryfa
4. Mên-An-Tol

Another sign of the importance of the Carn Galver area to our ancestors is Bosiliack Barrow, a Neolithic entrance grave. Approx. 3-4000 years old. The passage that the people are pointing to in Pic 2 aligns with the rising sun after the Winter Solstice.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Very good article about the threat to our prehistory here. There was a standing stone just a couple of fields from my house near Chapel Carn Brea until the 1980's. The entire Tregeseal West Stone Circle was obliterated in the 1960's.
#PrehistoryOfPenwith

cornishbirdblog.com/2018/05/09/our…

Chapel Carn Brea Long Cairn is a natural granite outcrop that was extended by 11m by our Neolithic ancestors. Panoramic views to The Scillies one way, The Lizard in the other. Long cairns quite rare in these parts. It catches the evening sun beautifully.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Pendeen Vau is a fogou with 17 m or so of tunnel. Two branches, one of which goes into a crawlspace that was partially flooded when I visited. Late Bronze age so roughly 3000 years old. Like all of Penwith's fogous, nobody's really sure of its purpose.

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In other news, #fogouselfies is now a hashtag, whether you like it or not.

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#PratsOfPenwith

Wheal Buller Standing Stone is another menhir that looks very different from each angle. Re-erected in the 1980's I believe and now part of a hedge. Not the most atmospheric spot just off the B3318 road but impressive: about 11 ft tall.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Some #PrehistoryOfPenwith from today's walk. And a frog, obviously.

1. Tregeseal East Stone Circle
2. Chûn Quoit
3. Chûn Castle
4. Frog/Toad/Thing. Well camouflaged this little fella. I nearly trod on him.

As it's the Winter #Solstice here's some #PrehistoryOfPenwith that aligns with the rising sun.

Carn Euny fogou. Entrance to the tunnel is illuminated at dawn.
Boscawen-Un Stone Circle. Aligns with the sun & the Lamorna Gap.
Bosiliack Barrow.

Happy #Solstice2019 everyone.

Sperris Quoit (The Giants Grave) is in ruins but it may be as much as 7000 years old so that's not surprising. Probably once looked like one of our other local quoits (Pic 4) .

A very peaceful spot for a New Years Day walk today.
#PrehistoryOfPenwith

I drive past The Blind Fiddler, a 3.3m giant, every day on the way to work. At this time of year, my journey home is at dusk so I get treated to this. I don't pull over often enough, I've decided.
#megalithic
#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Penwith's stone circles all have petrification myths: women turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath. Outlying stones are often fiddlers/pipers supplying the tunes.

Nine Maidens, The Merry Maidens, Boscawen-Ûn & The Dancing Stones.
#PrehistoryOfPenwith
#FolkloreThursday

Goldherring, a walled ancient settlement near Boscawen-Ûn stone circle. Occupied, abandoned & reoccupied for over 13 centuries so some remains are c. 3500 years old, others medieval.

Carn Euny courtyard houses, Caer Bran fort, Bartinney Castle all nearby.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

The Little Galver propped stones were arranged by our ancestors to make a viewing station framing the larger outcrop of Carn Galver. Climbed into it today as my friend @CarolynKennett thought it aligned with the Equinox sunset. Results pretty conclusive. 👍

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

First time I've ever been involved in a bit of original research so thanks, Carolyn. Absolutely loved it. 👍

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One more photo from the weekend. The sunset over Carn Galver from inside the Little Galver 'viewing station.'

Spring Equinox Sunset, 21/3/20
6:18pm

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Bodrifty Settlement may have been inhabited as long as 7000 years ago so may even pre-date Carn Euny/Bosullow Trehyllys mentioned upthread. 8 structures surrounded by a protective wall. Over 3 acres so pretty extensive in its day.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Almost every hill in the far West of Penwith has an ancient settlement and Sancreed Beacon is no exception. Cists, hut circles and beautiful views out to Mounts Bay

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Some #PrehistoryOfPenwith as my contribution to #MuseumsUnlocked

Chûn Quoit
The Mên-An-Tol
Inside Pendeen Vau Fogou
Lanyon Quoit

#megalithic

Some #PrehistoryOfPenwith from today's walk ... and loads of foxgloves.

Chûn Quoit, Tregeseal East Stone Circle, Boswens Menhir ... loads of foxgloves.

This thread's a year old today. It's taken me to 45 ancient sites, covered me in mud, cut me with barbed wire, had me crawling around underground, made me some friends and even got me involved in some original research.

Thanks to all who have contributed. It's been ace.👍

Investigating ancient sites is a glamorous business, as you can see. 🤣

Had Carn Euny ancient village to myself this afternoon. Just me and the foxgloves.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

... and here's the fogou, the mysterious tunnel/ante-chamber that runs under a chunk of Carn Euny ancient village. Shaky bit of film, sorry. You might want to leave the sound off too - it was blowing a gale above ground. 💨

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Brea Menhir was apparently destroyed in 1985. This John Michell photo is the only one I've ever seen, although it is still marked on OS maps. A great shame, this, as this is just one field from my house. If anyone knows any more about it, please let me know.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith

Tresvennack Pillar is a giant of a standing stone. 11.5 ft tall in a field near Kerris. Scruffy photo of me shown for scale; lockdown hair and all, sorry. A scheduled monument - 2 urns containing cremated bones were discovered near its base in 1848.

#PrehistoryOfPenwith