Round 280m south west of Trebowland

Reasons for Designation

Rounds are small embanked enclosures, one of a range of settlement types dating to between the later Iron Age and the early post-Roman period. Usually circular or oval, they have a single earth and rubble bank and an outer ditch, with one entrance breaking the circuit. Excavations have produced drystone supporting walls within the bank, paved or cobbled entrance ways, post built gate structures, and remains of timber, turf or stone built houses of oval or rectangular plan, often set around the inner edge of the enclosing bank. Other evidence includes hearths, drains, gullies, pits and rubbish middens. Evidence for industrial activities has been recovered from some sites, including small scale metal working and, among the domestic debris, items traded from distant sources. Some rounds are associated with secondary enclosures, either abutting the round as an annexe or forming an additional enclosure. Rounds are viewed primarily as agricultural settlements, the equivalents of farming hamlets. They were replaced by unenclosed settlement types by the 7th century AD. Over 750 rounds are recorded in the British Isles, occurring in areas bordering the Irish Seas, but confined in England to south west Devon and especially Cornwall, where many more examples may await discovery. Most recorded examples are sited on hillslopes and spurs. Rounds are important as one of the major sources of information on settlement and social organisation of the Iron Age and Roman periods in south west England. Consequently, sites with significant surviving remains will normally be considered to be of national importance.

The round 280m south west of Trebowland survives well. Despite partial reduction and limited modification of the earthworks, these remain substantially intact. The underlying old land surface, and remains of any buildings, structures, and other deposits associated with this and with the upstanding earthworks and ditch, will survive. The association with post- medieval inter-parish games illustrates one form of reuse of this monument type.

Details

The monument includes a later prehistoric to Romano-British round, reused for hurling matches in the post-medieval period, and situated on level ground on top of a prominent ridge south east of Lanner. The round is sub-circular in plan, measuring approximately 94m across overall. Around the west side, it has an enclosing bank 7.3m wide and 1.2m high inside, 1.8m-2.1m high outside, with a dip 4.5m wide and up to 0.2m deep at the edge of the interior within it, and an external ditch 4m wide and averaging 1m deep. On the south side, the bank's outer face has a post-medieval type stone revetment, and the external ditch beyond this is modified to form a trackway. On the east side, the earthworks are visible as a scarp approximately 6.6m wide and 0.9m high, with a slight depression some 3.5m wide beyond. The bank material, exposed in places on the west side, is earth and stone. The interior is generally level. A literary source from 1845 provides evidence for the round's reuse for inter-village hurling matches. The modern trackway surface, water tank, telegraph pole and wires, fencing, and dumped stone are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

32945

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Padel, O J, Cornish placename elements, (1985), 29, 52
James, C C, A History of the Parish of Gwennap in Cornwall, (), 118-120
Page, W, The Victoria History of the County of Cornwall: Volume I, (1906), 464
Tangye, M, Cornwall Archaeological Society Newsletter in Trebowland Round, Gwennap, Vol. 6, (1971), 5

Other
Title: Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Map Source Date: 1907 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Title: Cornwall Mapping Project Source Date: 2000 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Title: Gwennap Tithe Apportionment Source Date: 1840 Author: Publisher: Surveyor: 2652
Title: Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Map Source Date: 1880 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Title: Ordnance Survey 2" drawing Source Date: 1809 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Title: A Geological and Mining Map of the parish of Gwennap Source Date: 1845 Author: Publisher: Surveyor: CRO ME 2455
SW 73 NW 1, Fletcher, MJ, Ordnance Survey Index Card, (1971)
Henderson, C, OW819, (1929)

End of official list entry

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