Round 330m south east of Penhale

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.

Despite modification of parts of its enclosing bank and partial filling or silting of its external ditch, the round 300m south east of Penhale survives well. The underlying old land surface, and remains of any structures or other deposits associated with this and with the upstanding earthworks and ditch, will also survive.

Details

The monument includes a later prehistoric to Romano-British round, situated on top of a hill west of Ladock. The round is oval in plan, measuring approximately 90m north east-south west by 75m north west-south east overall. It has an enclosing rampart of earth and stone, with an external ditch. Around the south side the rampart is partly modified and incorporated in a later field boundary bank, but remains up to 4.5m wide and 3m high. On the north side, the rampart has been reduced by ploughing but forms an earthwork around 5m wide with an outward scarp up to 0.3m high, and slight traces of an internal face. The external ditch is partly buried but aerial photographs show it running around the southern half of the round, and remains of it are visible on the ground on the north east side in the form of a depression up to 6m wide and 0.2m deep. By analogy with similar sites elsewhere, the ditch will have continued around the whole of the rampart and will survive as a buried feature for its entire length. The interior of the round is fairly level. All modern fencing, and the water tank and associated pipe and fittings, 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. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

32963

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Title: Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Map Source Date: 1880 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Title: Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Map Source Date: 1907 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Title: Ladock Tithe Apportionment Map Source Date: 1840 Author: Publisher: Surveyor: 63
SW 85 SE 11, Fletcher, MJ, Ordnance Survey Index Card, (1970)
Dyer, C, Cornwall Mapping Programme, (1999)
MS at RIC library, Truro, Henderson, C, Parochial Antiquities, Parochial Antiquities, (1917)

End of official list entry

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