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Crig-a-mennis: a Bronze Age Barrow at Liskey, Perranzabuloe, Cornwall

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 May 2014

Patricia M. Christie
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Extract

The mound traditionally known as ‘Crig-a-mennis’ was excavated in September and October, 1957 on behalf of the Ministry of Works. Although a scheduled site, it was threatened with destruction owing to the clearing of mine dumps from the field where it was situated.

The site lies just off the main Perranporth-Truro road (fig. 1, map 3) on the south-east slope of Liskey Hill, about one mile south-east of the modern resort of Perranporth in the parish of Perranzabuloe (O.S. National Grid: 757528) and was originally one of a group of barrows in the area, few traces of which now remain.

In the course of four weeks of excavation the mound was stripped and nothing of it now remains. The finds were placed, after restoration by the writer, in the Museum of the Royal Institution of Cornwall in Truro by kind permission of Lord Vyvyan on whose land the barrow stood.

The site revealed a composite bell-barrow surrounded by an irregular causewayed ditch. A central stone-heap covering a fire and an oval pit was overlain by a turf and soil mound, stone reveted on the north and west, with a narrow berm between revetment and ditch. A trench-ramp cut into the natural rock on the east led into the ditch from outside and up towards the central area. Two finely decorated Ribbon-handled Urns were found inverted on the periphery of the turf stack and contemporary with it, one containing charcoal, the other burnt flints, biconical terracotta beads of Wessex type and a small terracotta cone. A miniature cup, five flint flakes and a flint core, and the possible remains of a wooden tool were also found, while a number of pits and charcoal patches suggest an elaborate ritual. Only one main phase of barrow construction was discernible—though this was capable of some sub-division—and the finds date the whole to c. 1400 B.C. or slightly later. Subsequent activity on the site, probably during the Iron Age, is attested by quern fragments, a slate ‘comb’ and an iron object.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society , Volume 26 , December 1960 , pp. 76 - 97
Copyright
Copyright © The Prehistoric Society 1960

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References

page 76 note 1 The writer is indebted to the Ministry of Works for the efficient manner in which materials and labour were provided, in particular to Mr J. G. Hurst for his help and co-operation; to the students and others whose skill and interest increased the speed and efficiency of the excavation, and to the numerous specialists and colleagues who have given information, advice and criticism in preparing this final report: to Prof. R. C. Atkinson, Mr L. Biek, Drs Dimbleby, Jewell, Levy, Wallis and Welch for their work on the specialist problems; to Mr H. L. Douch of Truro Museum, Miss D. Dudley and Mr A. C. Thomas; to Mr Charles Woolf of Newquay and Mr V. S. Megaw for taking the photographs, to Mr M. Stewart for help in preparing the final drawings, to Mr A. ApSimon for reading the text and finally to my husband for his help and patience throughout. Among local supporters particular thanks are due to Mr and Mrs Beazley and Mr J. Jones of Perranporth.

page 77 note 1 Memoirs of the Geological Survey (Explan. Sheet 346), H.M. Stationery Office–London 1906Google Scholar.

page 81 note 1 Atkinson, , Antiquity, XXXI (1957), 219–33CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

page 83 note 1 Fox, C., Life and Death in the Bronze Age, 110 and pl. 31aGoogle Scholar.

page 83 note 2 A visual examination of the beads, cone and a few fragments of pottery was carried out by Mr J. Shipley of the Royal College of Art, School of Ceramics.

page 86 note 1 Cf. Threipland, L. M., Arch. J, CXIIIGoogle Scholar, fig. 35, 9—St. Mawgan-in-Pydar (Carloggas).

page 87 note 1 Andrew, C. K. Croft, Trans. Plymouth Inst., XX (1945–1946)Google Scholar, (Barrow on Nancekuke Common, near Portreath).

page 87 note 2 C. K. Croft Andrew, op. cit.—one of these barrows also had a semicircle of fires around the eastern side.

page 87 note 3 See Appendix II—Charcoal.

page 87 note 4 Fox, C., Life and Death in the Bronze Age, 124–5Google Scholar.

page 87 note 5 C. Fox, op. cit., fig. 30 and pl. 9.

page 87 note 6 C. Fox op. cit., 110 and fig. 62.

page 87 note 7 Ashbee, P., Ant. J., 38 (1958)CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

page 87 note 8 Information kindly supplied by Miss D. Dudley.

page 87 note 9 Fox, C., Arch. Comb., 81 (1926), 48–85Google Scholar.

page 87 note 10 Unfortunately no soil sample was obtained from the filling.

page 88 note 1 Grinsell, L., Ancient Burial Mounds, 51Google Scholar.

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page 88 note 7 The ‘burial enclosure’ of the primary phase at South Barrow, Tynings Farm, with its complex of pits and fires is particularly notable, while this earthen barrow and other composite barrows in the same group have causeways and other analogous features. (Proc. Univ. Bristol Spel. Soc., 6, 1951Google Scholar).

page 88 note 8 Borlase, W. C., Naenia Cornubiœ, 114Google Scholar; 136–9.

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page 89 note 2 The calcined bone from Urn II cannot be considered evidence of a full human cremation, but may be part of the same deposit. No trace of cremated bone was found in Urn 1.

page 89 note 3 C. K. Croft Andrew, op. cit.

page 89 note 4 C. K. Croft Andrew, op. cit.,—Treligga 2.

page 89 note 5 C. Fox, op. cit.

page 89 note 6 Knocker, G. M., Proc. Dorset Nat. Hist. and Arch. Soc., 80, 136Google Scholar and ref. cited.

page 89 note 7 C. K. Croft Andrew, op. cit.

page 89 note 8 Patchett, F. M., Arch. J, CI (1946), 31Google Scholar.

page 89 note 9 BAP, 11, fig. 51.

page 89 note 10 WAM, 48 (1938)Google Scholar—‘Urn from Winterslow’.

page 90 note 1 C. Fox, op. cit., 19, fig. 11 and pl. 5a.

page 90 note 2 BAP, 11, fig. 44.

page 90 note 3 Arch. XLIII, 346.

page 90 note 4 BAP, 11, figs, 9a, 50.

page 90 note 5 Mortimer, J. R., Forty Years Research, 168, fig. 423Google Scholar.

page 90 note 6 An unpublished urn from Shepton Mallet (Somerset) bearing an apparently identical panel motif has been brought to the writer's notice by Mr ApSimon.

page 90 note 7 Patchett, F. M., Arch. J, CVII (1952), fig. 3.Google Scholar (D. 13 and E. 14).

page 90 note 8 C. K. Croft Andrew, op. cit.—Treligga, etc.

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page 91 note 1 Patchett, , Arch. J., CI (1946)Google Scholar; ApSimon, , PWCFC, 2, no. 2, 40Google Scholar.

page 91 note 2 Stone and Thomas, op. cit., 57.

page 92 note 1 Patchett, F. M., Arch. J., CVII, 64Google Scholar.

page 92 note 2 For description of these tests see:—Wacher, J. S., Proc. Suff. Inst. of Arch., XXVIII, pt. 1Google Scholar; Excavations at Wattisfield, 1956; Scientific Note by L. Biek.

page 92 note 3 Description of material passing 14 mesh.

page 96 note 1 Thanks are due to Mr J. Arnott, F.R.I.C, F.I.M., of Messrs G. and J. Weir, Ltd., Cathcart, Glasgow S.4, for carrying out this work.

page 96 note 2 The excavator is indebted to the University of Edinburgh, Dept. of Preh. Arch, for cleaning the object.