Launceston Castle is located in the town of Launceston, Cornwall, England. It was probably built by Robert the Count of Mortain after 1068, and initially comprised an earthwork and timber castle with a large motte in one corner. Launceston Castle formed the administrative centre of the new earldom of Cornwall, with a large community packed within the walls of its bailey. It was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century and then substantially redeveloped by Richard of Cornwall after 1227, including a high tower to enable visitors to view his surrounding lands. When Richard's son, Edmund, inherited the castle, he moved the earldom's administration to Lostwithiel, triggering the castle's decline. By 1337, the castle was increasingly ruinous and used primarily as a gaol and to host judicial assizes.

The castle was captured by the rebels during the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549, and was garrisoned by the Royalists during the English Civil War in the 17th century. Towards the end of the civil war it was stripped for its building materials and rendered largely uninhabitable. A small gaol was erected in the centre of the bailey, which was also used for executions. The castle eventually became the county gaol for Cornwall, but was heavily criticised for its poor facilities and treatment of inmates, earning it the nickname Castle Terrible. By 1842, the remaining prisoners had been moved to Bodmin  Gaol and the site was closed, the castle being landscaped to form a park by the Duke of Northumberland. During the Second World War, the site was used to host United States Army soldiers and, later, by the Air Ministry for offices. The ministry left the castle in 1956 and the site was reopened to visitors.

In the 21st century, Launceston is owned by the duchy of Cornwall and operated by English Heritage as a tourist attraction. Much of the castle defences remain, including the motte ,keep and high tower which overlook the castle's former deer park to the south. The gatehouses and some of the curtain wall have survived, and archaeologists have uncovered the foundations of various buildings in the bailey, including the great hall.

History

11th–12th centuries

Castle area

Town

Deer park

Launceston Castle was built after the Norman conquest of England, probably following the capture of Exeter in 1068. It was built at a strategic location, then called Dunheved, controlling the area between Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor, and the access over the Polson ford into Cornwall. It was probably constructed by Robert, the Count of Mortain, who was granted the earldom of Cornwall by William the Conqueror.

The early castle had earth and timber ramparts surrounding a bailey, with a defensive motte in its north-east corner. The bailey was designed around a grid-plan, aligned along its north-south axis, and had a substantial timber hall in the south-west corner. A large number of people lived and worked in wooden buildings that probably filled the site; the historian Oliver Creighton suggests that it would have resembled a "town within a town".

The castle became the administrative centre for the earldom and was used by Robert's court. There was already an existing market held at nearby St Stephen's church by the local canons, but Robert appropriated it and moved the market to outside his new castle, intending to profit from the trade. A watermill was built to the south-west of the castle.

The first documentary record of the castle dates from 1086 and further evidence is limited until the 13th century. Robert's son, William, rebelled against Henry I of England in 1106, who confiscated the castle. Reginald de Dunstanville held it between 1141 and 1175, and it passed to the then Prince John when he acquired the title of the Count of Mortain in 1189, and then passed back into the hands of the Crown after John's rebellion against his brother, Richard I, in 1191. King John gave the castle to Hubert de Burgh, sheriff of Cornwall.

A circular keep was constructed, probably in the late-12th century, on the castle's motte, along with two stone gatehouses and towers along the walls. The wooden buildings in the bailey were rebuilt in stone and the construction work spread up onto the inside edges of the ramparts. Some of these houses may have belonged to the members of the castle-guard, feudal knights who were granted local estates in return for helping to defend the castle.

13th century

The interior face of the southern gatehouse, constructed by Richard of Cornwall

Henry III's younger brother , Richard of Cornwall, was granted the earldom in 1227. Backed by the revenues from the lucrative Cornish tin mining industry, he reconstructed the defences at the castle. Richard only visited Cornwall occasionally during his life, probably using Berkhampsted and Wallingford castles as his primary residences in England, and the work may have been designed to impress the Cornish nobility, with whom Richard had a difficult relationship.

A small deer park was established to the south-west of the castle during this period, incorporating the castle mill within its boundaries, and it was occasionally supplied with deer from Kerrybullock, another park belonging to the earldom. A later survey showed the park being a league–3 miles (4.8km)–in circumference, and able to hold up to 40 deer.

Richard rebuilt the walls and the gatehouses at Launceston, building a high tower to increase the height of the keep, probably to allow guests to enjoy the view of his deer park. The bailey was cleared of its older buildings and a new great hall was constructed in the south-west corner. The castle's inhabitants ate well, enjoying a wide range of food including prime cuts of venison brought into the castle, probably mostly from the larger deer parks belonging to the earldom across the region.

A town borough was formally created in 1201, and by the 1220s there was a settlement established outside the castle gates; some of those residents who had been moved out of the bailey may have resettled there. Richard built a stone wall around the new town, linking it to the castle defences, intending it both as a defensive measure and to impress visitors.

Richard's son Edmund inherited the earldom in 1272 and moved the administrative hub of the earldom to Lostwithiel, closer to the tin mining industries. Launceston Castle remained significant as a site of local government, but it soon fell into neglect. When Edmund died in 1300, he left no heirs and the property reverted to the Crown.

14th–16th centuries

The eastern edge of the bailey, overlooking the remains of a D-shaped tower, the motte, keep and the High Tower

Edward II gave the earldom, including Launceston Castle, to his royal favourite Piers de Gaveston but, following Gaveston's execution in 1312, the castle passed to Walter de Bottreaux. In 1337,Edward III's son, Edward the Black Prince, was made the first Duke of Cornwall and acquired Launceston Castle. A survey reported a range of problems with the poorly-maintained fortification, noting that the walls–which were supposed to have been repaired by the knights of the castle-guard–were "ruinous", and that various buildings inside the bailey, including two prison buildings, were "decayed" and in need of new roofs. By this time the constable of the castle was living in the north gatehouse. Repairs to Launceston were undertaken in the 1340s and Edward held a council meeting at the castle in 1353, which was increasingly being used mainly for the holding of judicial assizes and as a gaol.

In the 15th century, the castle's bailey was subdivided by a long wall, and the high tower on top of the keep was turned into an additional prison building. Launceston played little part in the dynastic Wars of the Roses that broke out after 1455; the castle was given to the Yorkist favourite Halnatheus Malyverer in 1484, but Henry VII's victory the following year saw him replaced by Sir Richard Edgcumbe. After Edgcumbe's death in 1489 his son Piers Edgecumbe took over as constable for life. When the antiquarian John Leland visited in 1539, he noted that the castle was "the strongest, though not the biggest", he had ever seen, but the only buildings he noted were the chapel and the great hall, which was then being used for assize and court sessions.

Launceston Castle played a role in Cornish politics during the middle of the 16th century. In 1548, Sir William Body, a royal commissioner sent by Edward VI to destroy the Catholic shrines at Helston, was killed by two local Cornish men. In retaliation, 28 local men were arrested and executed at the castle. Anger grew, and in 1549 a wider uprising called the Prayer Book Rebellion took place. It was headed by Sir Humphrey Arundell, who marched up through the county and took Launceston Castle that summer, probably without a struggle. The castle was then used to imprison the royalist leader, Sir Richard Grenville, who died during his detention there. John Russell, the Earl of Bedford, subsequently defeated the rebels and retook Launceston, capturing Arundel who was seized in the street fighting.

During the 16th century, the castle began to be used as a rubbish tip by the adjacent town, and under Henry VIII the deer park, which was no longer needed to generate venison for the duchy, fell into disuse. By 1584, the antiquarian John Norden described the castle as "now abandoned", observing that although the hall was very spacious, the chapel was in a state of some decay.

17th–18th centuries

John Speed's depiction of Launceston town and castle in 1611

In 1637, Launceston Castle was used to imprison the Puritan writer John Bastwick ; contemporary accounts noted that the decaying castle was "so ruinous that every small blast of wind threatened to shatter it down upon his head". Shortly afterwards, the English Civil War broke out between the followers of Charles I and Parliament. The castle was predominantly held by the Royalists, until it was finally taken by the Parliamentarian general, Sir Thomas Fairfax, in February 1646. Before retreating from the town, the Royalist forces reportedly stripped the castle of the lead from its roofs and gave the timbers to the townsfolk to use as fuel. It was left in such a poor condition that Parliament did not bother to slight it, unlike many other captured castles.

A survey in 1650 showed that the town houses and their gardens had encroached on the external defences and that the only inhabitable part of the castle was the north gatehouse; the assizes were moved to a new hall built within the town itself. In the same year, Parliament sold off the properties of the duchy of Cornwall, and Colonel Robert Bennett, a Baptist teacher and supporter of Oliver Cromwell, purchased the castle, its deer park and its gaol. The north gatehouse began to be partially used as a prison, and in 1656 was used to hold various members of the Society of Friends, including George Fox, their founder, who described it as a "nasty stinking place".

Hendrick de Cort's pastoral depiction of the castle in the late-18th century; note the fortified bridge (centre) and the Watch Tower (right), later destroyed

When Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660, Bennett was removed from his post as constable. He was initially replaced by Thomas Rosse and then, in 1661, by Philip Piper. A gaol was built in the centre of the bailey in the late-17th century; it was bought by the constable and was adopted as the county gaol. In 1690, the county complained to the King that the constable, Sir Hugh Pyper, had allowed it to fall into disrepair and that the male and female prisoners were sleeping together in the same quarters. Two years later, the Crown granted the post of constable in perpetuity to Hugh and for two generations after him; in exchange, Hugh agreed to invest £120 in repairing the facility. The bailey was also used for carrying out executions.

The Pyper family's control of the constableship concluded in 1754, and George II then appointed a sequence of constables who became responsible for running the castle and county gaol on behalf of the duchy of Cornwall. In 1764, the north gatehouse was partially demolished by Coryndon Carpenter, a former mayor of Launceston and the castle's constable, who used the materials to help built a new mansion alongside the castle, called Eagle House. Parts of the north-west curtain wall were destroyed in the process of his landscaping work. When the artist William Gilpin visited in 1775, he praised the picturesque condition of the ruins.

The prisoner reformer John Howard reported in 1777 that the gaol was very small, forming a main room with three separate cages running along one side; one of these cages was reserved for female prisoners. The upper room was used as a chapel, and food for the inmates was lowered through a hole by the prison gaoler. In 1779, after complaints were made by about the conditions, £500 was granted by Parliament and the gaol was enlarged to comprise a day room and a total of seven cells for male and female prisoners, with accommodation for the prison governor on the first floor. In exchange, the county agreed to take over the maintenance of the gaol. By 1795,Hugh Percy, the 2nd Duke of Northumberland, had become an important local landowner in the region and acquired the rights to the post of constable from the Duke of Cornwall, the then Prince George.

19th–21st centuries

The castle bailey, photographed at the end of the 19th century

In 1834, Western Road was built along the southern edge of the castle. This required the demolition of part of the castle wall and the fortified bridge, and the weakening of the foundations caused the subsequent collapse of the south-eastern tower later that year. The town of Launceston declined in importance in the 19th century and from 1823 onwards the county gaol, which had a reputation for filthy and unhealthy conditions, began to be run down in favour of the facility at Bodmin Gaol. In 1838 the county government and the assizes were moved to Bodmin, which was more centrally located in Cornwall, resulting in the closure of the castle's gaol and its final demolition in 1842.

By now the castle was in disrepair, and the bailey and the earthworks were covered with a combination of pigsties, cabbage gardens and a skittle alley used by a local pub. Local tradition states that the visiting Queen of Portugal, Maria II of Portugal, complained about the condition of the site to Queen Victoria, which resulted in Hugh Percy, the 3rd Duke of Northumberland and the castle's constable, landscaping the area to create a public park between 1840 and 1842 at a cost of £3,000. The south gatehouse was repaired, and the remains of the north gatehouse turned into stables. Hugh sold off his local interests in 1864 and the Northumberlands' control of the post of constable lapsed with the death of his brother Algernon Percy, the 4th duke, the following year. The post lay vacant until in 1883 the local Member of Parliament, Hardinge  Giffard, was appointed as the constable by the then Prince Edward in his capacity as the Duke of Cornwall.

During the later stages of the Second World War, the bailey was levelled and used to hold a set of temporary Nissen huts that formed a hospital for United States Army personnel. In 1945, the site was leased by the Air Ministry for use as offices. The Ministry of Works took over the guardianship of the castle in 1951. The ministry put pressure on the Air Ministry to leave the site, which occurred in 1956; the bailey was then grassed over again. Archaeological excavations were carried out in the bailey between 1961 and 1982, uncovering many of the medieval buildings. 

In the 21st century, Launceston Castle is owned by the duchy of Cornwall and operated by English Heritage; as of 2013, annual visitor numbers averaged between 23,000 and 25,000. The remains are protected under UK law as scheduled monuments and a grade I listed building.

Architecture

Plan of the castle: A - north gatehouse; B - motte, keep and high tower; C - gatehouse and well; D - bailey; E - great hall; F - kitchen and hall; G - south gatehouse and bridge

Launceston Castle is built on a ridge that slopes from the east down to its west, where it meets a sharp incline. To the north, the ground drops away to the River Kensey. The castle comprises a curtain wall enclosing a bailey, with the remains of a north and south gatehouse. The inside of the bailey, 110 by 120 metres (360 by 390ft) across, contains the foundations of various buildings, including the castle's great hall. In the north-east corner is a motte, topped by a keep and the high tower. The majority of the fortifications are built from shale stone, with the detailing carried out in granite and Polyphant stone.

The castle is now entered through the 13th-century southern gatehouse, which faces towards the former deer park. This entrance was once protected by a 14th-century fortified bridge, also called a barbican, but only one set of stone arches remain, showing two surviving arrow slits in arched recesses. The south gatehouse has two drum towers on either side of a gateway, protected by a portcullis, and would have had three floors, linked to a wall walk around the castle. It would originally have been faced with dressed stonework, which has since been removed. The north gatehouse on the opposite site of the bailey originally led into the town of Launceston. The first floor of the building was probably first used as the porter's room, then by the castle's constable, and finally later as a prison.

The rectangular bailey forms a courtyard, the level part of which is called the Castle Green. When first built, the bailey was protected by earth ramparts, until a later stone curtain wall was built around it, protected by at least three mural towers, the foundations of some of which still survive. Much of the wall, including the south-eastern tower–called the Watch or Witch Tower–has been destroyed, although around a stretch 50 metres (160ft) long survives on the south-west side. The foundations of various, mostly 13th-century buildings excavated during the 20th century can be seen within the bailey, including the great hall, 22 by 7 metres (72 by 23ft) across; a long narrow hall, possibly used as a courtroom; and a large kitchen. A Victorian cottage is positioned by the south gatehouse, probably on the site of the earl's hall and chamber.

The castle motte was built up in several stages, originally being lower in height than today, before being built up during the medieval period and scarped by cutting away at the surrounding stone. It was then reinforced in 1700 with the addition of clay, before having large quantities of earth dumped on it in the late 18th century, and then being terraced in the mid-19th century. The motte is separated from the bailey by a ditch, now crossed by a modern bridge. In the 13th century this point was protected by a D-shaped tower, which still survives, located to one side of the gateway.^[85]The causeway steps up to the top of the mound were originally a roofed, stone corridor. There are the foundations of the castle well on the west side of the causeway.

A circular shell keep, 26 metres (85ft) across, was constructed on the motte in the 12th century, complete with a gateway; that was later replaced, and the current entrance dates from the 13th century. Rising up through the keep is the 13th-century high tower, 12 metres (39ft) in diameter, constructed from dark shale. This replaced any internal rooms that the shell keep might have had, instead creating a small, cramped and unlit chamber at the base of the keep. The upper chamber of the high tower was fitted with a large window and a fireplace, overlooking the deer park, and archaeologist Oliver Creighton suggests the tower was intended to be used a "private grandstand", with the parapet below being used for other forms of "lordly display" over the local community. The tower now leans slightly.

The keep appears to lie on the highest ground in the area, although this is actually located to the south, in the deer park. Visitors would have been funnelled around the edge of the park and by the town wall towards the south gate of the castle, a route dominated by the views of the keep and tower. The addition of the high tower had made the castle visible to anyone entering from Devon, framing it strikingly against the hills. The keep, park and town walls probably symbolised Richard's authority as earl, and the historian Andrew Saunders has argued that the keep and high tower were also intended to resemble Richard of Cornwall's crown in his role as the King of the Romans.

The  Throne of Cornwall  " "gorsedd Cernyw" 

It is mentioned in the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen which may date from the 11th century. The story describes the court as being at Celliwig in Cernyw the Welsh name for Cornwall, otherwise known as the kingdom of Dumnonia including modern Devon. Three Tribal Thrones of the Island of Britain" and locate one of his courts at Celliwig:"Arthur as Chief Prince in Celliwig in Cernyw, and Bishop Bytwini as Chief Bishop, and Caradog Freichfras as Chief Elder." Caradoc was his chief elder at this court and that Bishop Bytwini or Bedwin was chief bishop. This is one of the early triads found in Penarth  reflecting information recorded before Geoffrey of Monmouth.

The same triad goes on to say Arthur's other courts were at Mynyw and Pen Rhionydd. The triads also state that at Celliwig Mordred struck Gwenhwyfar a blow . This may have led to the Battle of Camlann .The early Welsh poem Pagŵr yw'r porthor may also Arthur is a mythic figure also suggest this court is entirely fictional . Given the name means " forest grove... it may have originally been envisaged as somewhere Otherworldly sacred groves being common in Celtic myth and only later might a specific location have been ascribed to it . "mention the court. Celliwig was also known to the Cornish as well , as it appears as Kyllywyc in the Cornish-language play Beunans Ke, written perhaps around 1500. In the Iolo Manuscripts (1843) a corpus of pseudo-medieval Welsh texts by the renowned literary forger and inventor of tradition Iolo Morganwg (1747–1826), Celliwig is referred as the former site of the " throne of Cornwall " but the text adds that it is now at Caervynyddawg (Caerfynyddog), a site which is otherwise unattested . A 1302 Cornish legal record mentions a 'Thomas de Kellewik' from west Cornwall , though his exact place of origin is unknown. Celliwig was identified by some Cornish antiquaries from 1816 onwards with Callington , occasionally locally attested as  'Callywith'  where the ancient monuments of Castlewich Henge and Cadson Bury ringfort are in close proximity . Their influence gave Callington its modern name in Common Cornish ; Kelly Bray ,  Cornish : Kellibregh ' is located just to the north.

Full description ; Fox, A., 1951, Eighteenth Report on the Archaeology and Early History of Devon, 37 (Article in Serial). SDV15558.

A stone axe was found on the surface in Clovelly Dykes hill-fort. The Stone Axe Co report that it is a sheared tremolite, with chlorite and ilmenite, originally probably from the greenstone of Balstone Down, near Callington, Cornwall. 12 other axes of this rock, forming group 4 of the committee's classification, are known from sites in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset.

Stone, J. F. S. + Wallis, F. S., 1951, Untitled Source, 113 (Article in Serial). SDV15561.

Celliwic as a fictional place
Those who argue that

And this murdered King is by tradition also connected with another fortress roughly mid-way between Duloe and Roche - which are south of the Bodmin and Goss Moors respectivelyfor the field in which stands Castle Dore was called Carhurles meaning 'Gorlas's fortress'. It therefore seems that the chieftain could have preceded King Mark of the Tristan saga at this earthwork which is known to have been re-occupied in Gorlas's time having been abandoned during the Roman period .  Assuming that the traditional link between the Arthurian and Tristan sagas could be factual and that King Mark DID succeed GORLAS and hold this southern territory by the sixth century,

not only must Arthur's domain of Camlan,the oldest form of Camelot,and his stronghold Celliwic be sought elsewhere but the suggested area should be required to fulfil certain conditions in order to present itself a feasible proposition. As Arthurian events would have taken place slightly before those of the Tristan saga , an Irish incursion should be in evidence for the saga's prologue depicts the Cornish at loggerheads with Irish intruders ; and a known Roman cavalry tradition is imperative if we are to believe that the proposed area could produce a horse-borne, armour-clad warrior together with a Carlyon meaning ' camp of the legion' with which he was reputedly associated .Moreover, the suggested district might the more convincingly offer itself were it adjacent to the easiest route out of Cornwall to facilitate movement up-country to a site where the Battle of Badon  halted a seeming English advance westward.

Finally,

we should seek an Avalon for the dying King.

THE IRISH AND CARLYON
The place name Celliwic occurs not only in the Arthurian legend but also,

as the variant Caellwig*

in later Cornish history and is therefore certainly an area of the county and probably one of the Moorland.

Although its site is in dispute,

the signs are that It will eventually be permitted to settle where it already hovers between the hill forts of
96 35 32. 2
Killybury

and Canyke-by-Callywith,

that is in the Camel Valley.

And this could be to the dismay of sceptics for Camlan also seems to fit this district. 
too
Charters clearly demonstrate that the present misnomer Allen, by which the River Camel's tributary is known instead of by its correct name Laine, originally applied to the* Camel itself and was accurately rendered ALAN. As this River Alan or Camel twisted and turned, the Cornish epithet 'cam' meaning 'crooked' apparently prefixed not only the word 'heyle' meaning 'estuary' but also on occasion the name Alan. Thus, it would seem that the present name Camel is a corruption of one or both of the Cornish names for this river - Camheyle and CAMALAN. °
It might therefore be interesting to seek the required conditions in the Camel Valley.

Of six known stones in Cornwall which are inscribed in the Irish script copipri-sing unconnected strokes and called Ogham, five are on Bodmin Moor and three of these in the Camel area.

Should the sixth seem curiously remote from the others at Truro,

w© maybe forgiven for remembering that one of Arthur's reputed battle sites was on the'River Treuroit.

However and regarding names on the three Camel Ogham stones, that at St. Endell ion-which also bears the early ChristianChi Rho symbol, 'XP‘,the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ - commemorates 'Brocagnus', identified^with the Irishman Brychan

who arrived inCornwall via Wales. Both names on the WorthyvaleOgham ston© are Roman as is the one on the St. Kew memorial.x
An Irish incursion is certainly evident as is also a lingering Roman usage. Th© latter is hardly surprising in an area where Roman road stones at Boscastle and Tintagell and a 'camp of the legion' at Tregear have been found. Moreover, even AFTER the Roman cavalry station at Nanstallon meaning'Vale of Alan'was abandoned, it is apparent that agents of Rome used the most accessible route to and fromEngland across this north coast district at least as late as the fourth century when the Tintagel stone was inscribed. Ami, as some 300 years of contact with Roman custom appears to have influenced the local
Dumnonii so that they seemingly copied the Tregear shape when they built their earthwork at St. Kew, it might reasonably be expected that they would also emulate Roman strategy.
THE ISLE OF AVALLEN
Properly rendered, Avalon is the Celtic word 'avallen' meaning 'apple trees' . Incorporated in several place names, it is included in the name Worthyvale which appeared as 'Guerdevalen1 in the Domesday Book showing that there was an Early English homestead by an orchard adjacent to the area known as Slaughterbridge at the head of the River Camel. In fact, this very district has been traditionally regarded as the setting of the final act of the Arthurian drama. Such regard, however, has lately been swamped in the scorn which has been poured upon the local name 'Arthur's Grave for the Ogham stone actually commemorating 'Latinos', upon reports of battle debris found there, and upon the Tintagel paraphernalia so that the mere whisper of Arthur's name in this part of Cornwall seems actionable under the recent Retail Descriptions Act'. Yet, when it is noticed that Worthyvale is virtually an isle amid streamlets and that the word slaughter, probably deriving from the Old English for'muddy', suggests thesurrounding land wasonce mire, it is hard not to suspect that there IS Avalon. It may seem immaterial that thewoods of Camlanand perhaps even Avaloncannot be seen for the trees of scepticism. However, the Camel Valley which has close on 900 yearsof popular and possibly justifiable identification with the Arthurian legend is largely dependent upon tourism. Surely time and money spent trying to prove Arthur elsewhere is notonly longoverdue, but might the more effectively be invested, in his traditional homeland where associations with him have yet to be CONVINCINGLY refuted'.
QUEST FOR SOULS
Time was when stories of Cornish saints were taken with the dose of salt reserved for thoseof the Arthurian and Tristan legends'. Not so now for the likelihood of essential events of both actually taking place is increasingly accepted. If the militancy of Christianity represented in the Arthurian and Tristan sagas very naturally predominated during the reassertion of Dumnonian tribalism after the Romans had gone, its civilising power was to settle it through the influence of saintly colonists-
Hitherto, the search for living spacehad motivated the movement of peoples, now it was the quest for souls and missionaries from Ireland, Wales and Brittany were to nurture the infant Christianity conceived here in Roman times. So many places on the map retain the names of these saints, the earliest of whom probably emanated from South) Wales where IItut had founded a monastic training school at LIantwit Ma jor in Glamorgan.
A reconstruction of possible events at Bodmin6could represent those in many a Cornish area during the fifth century. The Celts of Bodmin's hill fort, Castle Canyke, might have noticed the arrival of a stranger in the valley below them at the east end of the present Priory Park. Bearded and with the front of his head shaven leaving hair flowing long behind, the intruder would set about collecting stones and,wood which he would take to the spring. Soon he would build a hut, set up a roughly carved standing stone and surround these and his well with a piled-stone wall; and there he would fast and pray for forty days.*
Then he must have visited them, his psalm-book swinging from his waist and the bell on his spade-topped staff sounding his approach. His name was Gwrin, or Guron, and he had journeyed from Wales by sea The fasting and praying were to dedicate his 'Ian1 or monastic enclosure, the stone was a cross to signify a Christian foundation and the hut was his oratory from which he would evangelise the district and which might become his shrine after death. As the people took to him, Guron would celebrate the sail 

Cyfeirir ato yn y stori Gymraeg Culhwch ac Olwen
a all ddyddio o'r 11eg ganrif.
Mae'r stori'n disgrifio'r llys fel un yn Celliwig yn Cernyw

(yr enw Cymraeg ar Gernyw),
a elwir hefyd yn deyrnas Dumnonia gan gynnwys Dyfnaint modern.

"Tair Thrones Tribal Ynys Prydain" a lleoli un o'i lysoedd yn Celliwig: "Arthur fel Prif Dywysog yn Celliwig yn Cernyw, a'r Esgob Bytwini yn Brif Esgob , a Caradog Freichfras fel Prif Flaenor. "
Caradoc oedd ei brif flaenor yn y llys hwn a bod yr Esgob Bytwini neu Bedwin yn brif esgob.

Dyma un o'r triawdau cynnar a ddarganfuwyd yn Peniarth MS 54 sy'n adlewyrchu gwybodaeth a gofnodwyd gerbron Sieffre o Fynwy.
Aiff yr un triawd ymlaen i ddweud bod llysoedd eraill Arthur ym Mynyw a Phen Rhionydd.
Mae'r triawdau hefyd yn nodi bod Cellenig Mordred wedi taro ergyd i Gwenhwyfar.
Efallai bod hyn wedi arwain at Frwydr Camlann.
Y gerdd Gymraeg gynnar Pa foddaeth porthor?
Efallai hefyd fod Arthur yn ffigwr chwedlonol hefyd yn awgrymu bod y llys hwn yn hollol ffuglennol.
O ystyried bod yr enw yn golygu "rhigol coedwig ... efallai ei fod wedi'i ragweld yn wreiddiol fel rhywle arallfydol (llwyni cysegredig yn gyffredin yn y myth Celtaidd) a dim ond yn ddiweddarach y gallai lleoliad penodol fod wedi'i briodoli iddo." Soniwch am y llys.
Roedd Celliwig hefyd yn hysbys i'r Gernyweg hefyd, gan ei bod yn ymddangos fel Kyllywyc yn y ddrama iaith Gernyweg Beunans Ke, a ysgrifennwyd efallai tua 1500.
Yn Llawysgrifau Iolo (1843)

corpws o destunau Cymraeg ffug-ganoloesol gan y ffugiwr llenyddol enwog a dyfeisiwr traddodiad Iolo Morganwg (1747-1826),
Cyfeirir at Celliwig fel hen safle "gorsedd Cernyw" ond mae'r testun yn ychwanegu ei fod bellach yng Nghaervynyddawg (Caerfynyddog), safle sydd heb ei brofi fel arall.

Mae cofnod cyfreithiol Cernyw 1302 yn sôn am 'Thomas de Kellewik' o orllewin Cernyw,

er nad yw ei union fan tarddiad yn hysbys.
Dynodwyd Celliwig gan rai hynafiaethwyr Cernyw o 1816 ymlaen gyda Callington (a ardystiwyd yn lleol weithiau fel 'Callywith') lle mae henebion hynafol Cestyll Castlewich Henge a Cadson Bury yn agos iawn.
Rhoddodd eu dylanwad ei enw modern i Callington yn Common Cornish ; Kelly Bray
(Cernyweg: Kellibregh 'dappled grove')
wedi ei leoli ychydig i'r gogledd.
Awgrym arall ar y pryd oedd Kelliwith.
Ymhlith y lleoliadau eraill a awgrymir mae Coed Gweek ac ar yr arfordir yn Trwyn Tintagel Barras neu Willapark. Fe wnaeth Rachel Bromwich, golygydd diweddaraf y Triads Cymreig, ei baru â Kelly Rounds, bryngaer ym mhlwyf Cernyw yn Egloshayle.
Awgrymwyd hyn eisoes gan Charles Henderson yn y Cornish Church Guide (1925) (t. 87).
Yn ddiddorol ddigon,

mae Cosmograffeg Ravenna yn nodi anheddiad rhanbarthol mawr yn oes y Rhufeiniaid fel Nemetostatio yn Dua mnonicentral (wedi'i nodi â Gogledd Tawton, Dyfnaint)
a fyddai'n cyfieithu o'r Lladin fel 'The Outpost of the Sacred Grove (s)'.
Heb fod ymhell o ffin fodern Cernyw mae pentref Kelly yn Nyfnaint sy'n dwyn ei enw oddi wrth deulu lleol hynafol, wedi'i ardystio mor bell yn ôl â'r 11eg ganrif.
Y tu allan i Gernyw
Fodd bynnag, mae yna hefyd nifer o leoedd o'r enw Cernyw neu'n cynnwys yr enw hwnnw yng Nghymru,

ee yr enw lle Coedkernew (Coed Cernyw) yng Nghasnewydd.
Felly awgrymwyd y gallai'r llys hwn fod yn fryngaer Llanmelin, ger Caerwent.

Gan fod Caradog wedi'i gysylltu â Theyrnas Gwent gallai hyn gefnogi'r syniad hwn.
Mae yna hefyd fferm o'r enw Gelliweg ar benrhyn Llosg yng Ngwynedd y mae un pâr o ymchwilwyr ac ysgrifenwyr Arthuraidd,
Dadleua Steven Blake a Scott Lloyd, efallai mai'r lleoliad.
Celliwig fel lle ffuglennol
Y rhai sy'n dadlau bod
Bodmin Moor
gan Gorlas.

Ac mae'r Brenin a lofruddiwyd hefyd yn ôl traddodiad hefyd yn gysylltiedig â chaer arall tua hanner ffordd rhwng Duloe a Roche - sydd i'r de o Rostiroedd Bodmin a Goss
-
ar gyfer y cae lle saif Castell Dore o'r enw Carhurles sy'n golygu 'caer Gorlas'.

Mae'n ymddangos felly y gallai'r pennaeth fod wedi rhagflaenu'r Brenin Marc o saga Tristan yn y gwrthglawdd hwn y gwyddys iddo gael ei ail-feddiannu yn amser Gorlas ar ôl cael ei adael yn ystod y cyfnod Rhufeinig.
Gan dybio bod y cysylltiad traddodiadol rhwng

gallai'r sagas Arthuraidd a Tristan fod yn ffeithiol a bod y Brenin Marc DID yn olynu GORLAS ac yn dal y diriogaeth ddeheuol hon erbyn y chweched ganrif,
nid yn unig rhaid i barth Arthur o Camlan,
ffurf hynaf Camelot,
a dylid ceisio ei gadarnle Celliwic mewn man arall ond dylid ei gwneud yn ofynnol i'r ardal a awgrymir gyflawni rhai amodau er mwyn cyflwyno cynnig dichonadwy iddo'i hun.
Gan y byddai digwyddiadau Arthuraidd wedi digwydd ychydig cyn digwyddiadau saga Tristan,

dylai goresgyniad Gwyddelig fod mewn tystiolaeth ar gyfer prolog y saga yn darlunio’r Gernyweg wrth bennau boncyffion gyda thresmaswyr Gwyddelig ;

ac mae traddodiad marchfilwyr Rhufeinig hysbys yn hanfodol os ydym am gredu y gallai'r ardal arfaethedig gynhyrchu a
a gludir gan geffylau,
rhyfelwr wedi'i orchuddio ag arfwisg ynghyd ag ystyr Carlyon
'gwersyll y lleng'
yr oedd, yn ôl y sôn, gysylltiad ag ef.
Ar ben hynny,
efallai y byddai'r ardal a awgrymir yn cynnig ei hun yn fwy argyhoeddiadol pe bai'n gyfagos i'r llwybr hawsaf allan o Gernyw i hwyluso symud i fyny'r wlad i safle lle

Brwydr Badon

atal cynnydd ymddangosiadol Seisnig tua'r gorllewin.

Yn olaf,
dylem geisio Avalon ar gyfer y Brenin sy'n marw.

YR IWERDDON A CARLYON
Mae'r enw lle Celliwic i'w gael nid yn unig yn y chwedl Arthuraidd ond hefyd,

fel yr amrywiad Caellwig *
yn hanes diweddarach Cernyw ac felly mae'n sicr yn ardal o'r sir ac yn un o'r Rhostiroedd mae'n debyg.
Er bod anghydfod ynghylch ei safle,
yr arwyddion yw y Caniateir iddo setlo yn y pen draw lle mae eisoes yn hofran rhwng caerau bryniau
96 35 32. 2
Killybury

a Canyke-by-Callywith,
mae hynny yn Nyffryn Camel.

A gallai hyn fod er mawr siom i amheuwyr i Camlan hefyd fel petai'n gweddu i'r ardal hon. hefyd mae Siarteri yn dangos yn glir bod y camarweinydd presennol A | len, y mae llednant Rivoi Camel yn cael ei hadnabod yn lle wrth ei henw cywir Laine, a gymhwyswyd yn wreiddiol at y * Camel ei hun ac a roddwyd yn gywir ALAN. Wrth i'r Afon Alan neu'r Camel hon droelli a throi, mae'n debyg bod yr epithet Cernyw 'cam' sy'n golygu 'cam' yn rhagddodi nid yn unig y gair 'heyle' sy'n golygu 'aber' ond hefyd weithiau'r enw Alan. Felly, mae'n ymddangos bod yr enw presennol Camel yn llygredigaeth o un neu'r ddau o'r enwau Cernyweg ar yr afon hon - Camheyle a CAMALAN. °

Felly, gallai fod yn ddiddorol ceisio'r amodau gofynnol yn Nyffryn Camel. O'r chwe charreg hysbys yng Nghernyw sydd wedi'u harysgrifio yn y sgript Wyddelig copipri-sing strôc digyswllt ac o'r enw Ogham, mae pump ar Rostir Bodmin a thair o'r rhain yn ardal Camel. Pe bai'r chweched yn ymddangos yn rhyfedd o bell oddi wrth y lleill yn Truro, efallai y byddem yn maddau am gofio bod un o safleoedd brwydr honedig Arthur ar y'River Treuroit. Fodd bynnag, ac o ran enwau ar y tair carreg Camel Ogham, mae ïon St. Endell-sydd hefyd yn dwyn symbol cynnar ChristianChi Rho, 'XP', dwy lythyren gyntaf y gair Groeg am Grist - yn coffáu 'Brocagnus', a nodwyd ^ gyda cyrhaeddodd y Gwyddel Brychanwho i mewn iornorn trwy Gymru. Mae'r ddau enw ar y ston WorthyvaleOgham © yn Rhufeinig fel y mae'r un ar gofeb St. Kew.x
Mae goresgyniad Gwyddelig yn amlwg yn amlwg fel y mae hefyd yn ddefnydd Rhufeinig. Nid yw'r syndod yn syndod mewn ardal lle darganfuwyd cerrig ffordd Rhufeinig yn Boscastle a Tintagell a 'gwersyll y lleng' yn Nhregear. Ar ben hynny, hyd yn oed AR ÔL i'r orsaf wyr meirch Rufeinig yn Nanstallon sy'n golygu bod'Vale of Alan'was wedi'i gadael, mae'n amlwg bod asiantau Rhufain wedi defnyddio'r llwybr mwyaf hygyrch i ac o'r Ynys ar draws yr ardal arfordir ogleddol hon o leiaf mor hwyr â'r bedwaredd ganrif pan ddaeth y Tintagel arysgrifenwyd carreg. Ami, gan ei bod yn ymddangos bod rhyw 300 mlynedd o gyswllt ag arferiad Rhufeinig wedi dylanwadu ar y
Dumnonii lleol fel eu bod yn ymddangos eu bod wedi copïo siâp Tregear pan wnaethant adeiladu eu gwrthglawdd yn St. Kew, gellid yn rhesymol ddisgwyl y byddent hefyd yn efelychu strategaeth Rufeinig.
YNYS AVALLEN
Wedi'i rendro'n gywir, Avalon yw'r gair Celtaidd 'avallen' sy'n golygu 'coed afalau'. Wedi'i ymgorffori mewn sawl enw lle, mae wedi'i gynnwys yn yr enw Worthyvale a ymddangosodd fel 'Guerdevalen1 yn Llyfr Domesday yn dangos bod cartref Saesneg Cynnar gan berllan ger yr ardal o'r enw Slaughterbridge ym mhen Afon Camel. Mewn gwirionedd, yn draddodiadol ystyriwyd yr union ardal hon fel lleoliad act olaf y ddrama Arthuraidd.
Fodd bynnag, yn ddiweddar, cafodd y fath sylw ei foddi yn y gwawd a dywalltwyd ar yr enw lleol'Arthur's Grave1 am garreg Ogham i goffáu 'Latinos' mewn gwirionedd, ar adroddiadau o falurion brwydr a ddarganfuwyd yno, ac ar baraphernalia Tintagel fel bod y dim ond ymddengys bod sibrwd enw Arthur yn y rhan hon o Gernyw yn weithredadwy o dan y Ddeddf Disgrifiadau Manwerthu diweddar '. Ac eto, pan sylwir bod Worthyvale fwy neu lai yn ynysoedd yng nghanol nentydd a bod y gair lladd, yn ôl pob tebyg yn deillio o'r Hen Saesneg for'muddy ', yn awgrymu cors wasonce tir amgylchynol, mae'n anodd peidio ag amau ​​bod IS Avalon.
Efallai ei bod yn ymddangos yn amherthnasol bod coed Camlanand, hyd yn oed Avaloncannot, i'w gweld ar gyfer coed amheuaeth. Fodd bynnag, mae Cwm Camel sydd wedi cau bron i 900 mlynedd o uniaethu poblogaidd a chyfiawnadwy â'r chwedl Arthuraidd yn dibynnu i raddau helaeth ar dwristiaeth. Siawns nad yw amser ac arian a dreulir yn ceisio profi Arthur mewn man arall yn hir-ddisgwyliedig, ond efallai y bydd yn cael ei fuddsoddi'n fwy effeithiol, yn ei famwlad draddodiadol lle nad yw cymdeithasau ag ef wedi cael eu gwrthbrofi eto '.
CWEST AM SUL
Amser oedd pan gymerwyd straeon am seintiau Cernyw gyda'r dos o halen wedi'i gadw ar gyfer y chwedlau Arthuraidd a Tristan '. Nid felly nawr am y tebygolrwydd y bydd digwyddiadau hanfodol y ddau yn digwydd mewn gwirionedd yn cael ei dderbyn fwyfwy. Pe bai milwriaeth Cristnogaeth a gynrychiolir yn y sagas Arthuraidd a Tristan yn amlwg iawn yn ystod haeriad llwythol Dumnonaidd ar ôl i'r Rhufeiniaid fynd, ei phwer gwareiddiol oedd ei setlo trwy ddylanwad gwladychwyr sant-
Hyd yn hyn, roedd y chwilio am spacehad byw yn ysgogi symudiad pobloedd, nawr yr oedd yn rhaid i eneidiau a chenhadon o Iwerddon, Cymru a Llydaw feithrin y Gristnogaeth fabanod a genhedlwyd yma yng nghyfnod y Rhufeiniaid. Mae cymaint o leoedd ar y map yn cadw enwau'r seintiau hyn, y mae'n debyg bod y cynharaf ohonynt yn deillio o Dde) Cymru lle roedd IItut wedi sefydlu ysgol hyfforddi fynachaidd yn LIantwit Ma jor ym Morgannwg.
Mae ailadeiladu digwyddiadau posib ym Modmin6could yn cynrychioli'r rhai mewn llawer o ardal Cernyw yn ystod y bumed ganrif. Efallai fod caer bryn Celtiaid Bodmin, Castle Canyke, wedi sylwi bod dieithryn wedi cyrraedd y cwm oddi tanynt ym mhen dwyreiniol Parc presennol y Priordy. Barfog a chyda blaen ei ben wedi'i eillio gan adael gwallt yn llifo ymhell ar ôl, byddai'r tresmaswr yn mynd ati i gasglu cerrig a, phren y byddai'n ei gymryd i'r gwanwyn. Cyn bo hir, byddai'n adeiladu cwt, yn sefydlu maen hir wedi'i gerfio'n fras ac yn amgylchynu'r rhain a'i ffynnon gyda wal gerrig pentwr; ac yno y byddai'n ymprydio ac yn gweddïo am ddeugain niwrnod. *
Yna mae'n rhaid ei fod wedi ymweld â nhw, ei lyfr salm yn siglo o'i ganol a'r gloch ar ei staff ar ben rhaw yn swnio'i ddull. Ei enw oedd Gwrin, neu Guron, ac roedd wedi teithio o Gymru ar y môr Yr ympryd a'r gweddïo oedd cysegru ei 'Ian1 neu gae mynachaidd, roedd y garreg yn groes i ddynodi sylfaen Gristnogol a'r cwt oedd ei areithyddiaeth y byddai'n gwneud ohoni efengylu'r ardal ac a allai ddod yn gysegrfa ar ôl marwolaeth. Wrth i'r bobl fynd ato, byddai Guron yn dathlu'r sa
il

Horsebridge is a hamlet in the Sydenham Damerel parish, West Devon district, Devon, England in the Tamar Valley. The village of Horsebridge takes its name from the bridge 'Horse Bridge' and is situated just north (but right next to) the bridge. The village is situated on the east bank of the river Tamar. The river Tamar forms part of the boundary between the counties of Devon and Cornwall. Horsebridge is also a crossing point over the river Tamar. The Royal Inn, a pub in the village, claims that its building was formerly a nunnery.

The Bridge is a traditional stone bridge and was built here in 1437. It is one of the earliest crossing points over the river Tamar. The Bridge was the lowest(most southerly)crossing point across the river Tamar, until another bridge was built in Gunnislake circa 1520. Horsebridge (the two words 'Horse' and 'Bridge' are often combined to be the same as the village name) allowed travellers to cross between the two counties of Devon and Cornwall. The bridge became a Grade I listed monument in 1952, and was reputedly built by French Benedictine monks, who then went on to build the nunnery.

The Tamara Coast to Coast path, an 87 miles (140km) walking/hiking route (which opened in 2023), passes over Horse Bridge (Horsebridge) and through the village of the same name (Stage 4: Gunnislake to Lifton).

The nearest towns are Callington in Cornwall (4 miles) and Tavistock in Devon (5 miles). The bridge sits between the two parishes of Stoke Climsland and Sydenham Damerel.

References

St. Germans in Keltic Times
It is generally accepted that St. Germans takes its name from Saint Germanus, who was Bishop of Auxerre, and who lived from 380 to 448. Germanus was a Gallo-Roman who was educated as a lawyer in Rome, and, who, until his consecration as Bishop by Bishop Amatre, in 418, was an administrator in his home province. His fame as a Bishop spread because of his devotion and zeal in the opposing of Pelagianism, the current heresy, and his fight against Pelagianism brought him several times to these shores. Whether or not he ever visited this corner of Cornwall it is hard to say, and there is little historical evidence to support it, though with several churches dedicated to his name, it is not impossible that he should have sojourned here en route from Gaul on his missionary journeys as a champion of Orthodoxy. The geographical nature of St. Germans must have marked it out as a place for human habitation from a very early date, and in Keltic times there most certainly would have been a village on the site, the large hill behind, known as Colgear Hill, acting as a protection against pirates whoinfested the Cornish estuaries. The name Colgear, originally Kilgear, contains the word ‘Caer’, which means a fortress. With the tidal river as a useful means of communication there well could have been an enclosed fortified Keltic village. Christianity for the most part had come to these people from the great missionary centre of Wales and Ireland, and many saints on their journeys from those places to the new colony in Brittany passed across Cornwall, and left their names behind them. A fine example of this is St. Winwallo, one of the most famous Saints of Brittany who founded an abbey near Brest, is revered with several shrines in Cornwall and Devon. One of these being a chapel in the south part of the parish of St. Germans, a place now called St. Winnols. The adjacent farm is called Eglaroose, in ancient days was called Eglos-Rose meaning ‘the chapel on the promontory’, showing that in Keltic times St. Winwallo’s Chapel was an independent church, the foundation of which was probably older than St. Germans itself, but although maintained as a chapel of ease by the Priory until the Reformation not a stone now remains. Cornwall does not seem to have been subdued by the West Saxons
until about 830 in the reign of Egbert. Before that the Cornish Church managed its own affairs without reference to the Saxon Church established by St. Augustine. This church in Cornwall was essentially monastic and all the principal churches were monasteries, wherein the Bishops were the Abbots or else subordinate to them. Amongst these we may be fairly certain that one was to be found at St. Germans, though it is curious that the old Keltic name of St. Germans (if it ever had one) has not survived.

Roman Calstock
A curiosity for the historically inclined – it was always believe that there was really not much Roman presence in Cornwall. But in 2008, an excavation looking for traces of medieval silver mining found instead an enormous first-century Roman fortress near the Church at Calstock. There’s nothing much Roman to see there now, but the church is a pretty spot and you may like to drop by to see if you can spot any legionary ghosts, marching up the hill from the quiet mists of the river Tamar.

The site of Calstock Roman Fort probably dating from the 1st century AD. This is only the third Roman fort to have been found in Cornwall and the first with possible associations with Roman military interests in Cornwall's mineral resources. The site is located on a spur above the river Tamar near to St. Andrew's church in the parish of Calstock, Cornwall. It was found accidently by a team from Exeter University, as part of the larger Bere Ferrers Project, investigating the development of medieval silver mines in this area. A geophysical survey in 2007 revealed the outline of a Roman fort enclosed by two ramparts and two ditches. A number of anomalies were also revealed which may be associated with Roman metalworking. In 2008 a trial trench was excavated on the site which revealed details of the fort's defences. The fort measures circa 170m by 160m, with an internal area of circa 140m by 130m (1.82 hectares). This is much larger than the other two known Roman forts in Cornwall; Nanstallon (Monument Number 431370) and Restormel (Monument Number 432777). Two ramparts and ditches were uncovered. The outer rampart is approximately five metres wide and is constructed of clay and shillet from the digging of the ditches. The sides of the rampart were held together with timbers on both faces. Two ditches were uncovered between the inner and outer rampart with characteristic v-shaped profiles and square-cut bases which is typical of Roman military sites. They were 2.8m deep and approximately 3.5m wide. The outer rampart was also approximately five metres wide and the investigations show that it was capped with large sandstone rubble on the western and southern sides of the fort. Just outside this rampart a stone-lined furnace structure was excavated. Finds from it included Roman pottery, fragments of furnace lining and some ore and slag which suggest that Roman metalworking was taking place in the 1st century AD. A track leading into the fort was also identified.

Trethevy Quoit
OS grid ref:- SX 259 688
Imposing Trethevy Quoit, situated near to the village of St. Cleer on the south eastern edge of Bodmin Moor, is one of the best known of Cornwall's prehistoric monuments and is remarkably well preserved.
Also known locally as the Giant's House or King Arthur's Quoit, the monument measures over 15 feet high (4.6 Metres). The Quoit stands in a field at the back of some cottages.
The megalithic chamber, the largest in the country, sits on a mound which it is thought covered the lower part of the stones, acting as a ramp to aid access to the chamber during burials. It consists of six upright slabs of about three metres high (10 feet) which support a capstone measuring 3.7metres (12 feet) long. The rectangular chamber measures 2 x 1.5 metres.
A small portion of the front entrance stone is missing, it has been theorised that this was cut to provide an entrance into the chamber. A natural hole exists at its highest point.
The function of this hole remains an enigma, although there is speculation that it was used for astronomical observations. The chamber was used as a tomb between 1,800 and 1,200B.C. The western stone collapsed before 1850.
Directions
To reach Trethevy Quoit take the road South West to St Cleer from the Minions, passing a Cornish cross on the left and approximately one mile later take the road on the left to Darite. The site is signposted and a small parking area is provided. There is free access at all times.

Prehistoric Sites in Cornwall
Lanyon Quoit
Zennor Quoit

Nanstallon Roman Fort is thought to have been occupied from AD 65 to AD 79. It now remains as earthworks. The Roman military character of the earthwork on Tregear Farm was established in excavations between 1965 and 1969. This had been recognised in the 19th century from the many Roman objects of first century date ploughed up over many generations and listed by Iago. In the mid 19th century, the site was described as having very wide double ramparts which were gradually destroyed for field dressing and the eastern side ploughed out. Excavations have provided evidence for a 2.2 acre fort with turf revetted ramparts, timber angle towers, metalled roads and double gates. It is thought to have been too small to accommodate a complete auxiliary unit. It probably housed a detachment responsible for the supervision of lead and silver extraction. The principia was of unusual plan, very wide in proportion to its depth. Long halls were present on either side of the courtyard and a recessed entrance and portico were present at the front of the building. The Barrack blocks were rectangular in plan with no projecting officers' quarters or verandahs. There were larger rooms present at the end of each block.The compound adjoining the praetorum was defined by a timber fence. The yard was lightly metalled with post holes suggesting the presence of lean to sheds. One possible function of the compound was that of an ablutions block. This fort is only one area of three examples to have a double portal gate. The other examples include Baginton (Neronian in date) and Brough on Humber (Early Flavian). The dating evidence from coins and pottery suggests that Nanstallon Roman Fort was constructed late in the reign of Nero, certainly after AD 64, and withdrawal occurred during the reign of Vespasian (69-79) or very soon afterwards. The finds from the site have been donated to Truro Museum. In addition, flints found in the excavation are thought to date to the Neolithic or later.

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:Cornwall (Unitary Authority)

Parish:St. Ive and Pensilva

National Grid Reference:SX 34330 67384

Reasons for Designation

Slight univallate hillforts are defined as enclosures of various shapes, generally between 1ha and 10ha in size, situated on or close to hilltops and defined by a single line of earthworks, the scale of which is relatively small. They date to between the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (eighth - fifth centuries BC), the majority being used for 150 to 200 years prior to their abandonment or reconstruction. Slight univallate hillforts have generally been interpreted as stock enclosures, redistribution centres, places of refuge and permanent settlements. The earthworks generally include a rampart, narrow level berm, external ditch and counterscarp bank, while access to the interior is usually provided by two entrances comprising either simple gaps in the earthwork or an inturned rampart. Postholes revealed by excavation indicate the occasional presence of portal gateways while more elaborate features like overlapping ramparts and outworks are limited to only a few examples. Internal features included timber or stone round houses; large storage pits and hearths; scattered postholes, stakeholes and gullies; and square or rectangular buildings supported by four to six posts, often represented by postholes, and interpreted as raised granaries. Slight univallate hillforts are rare with around 150 examples recorded nationally. They are important for understanding the transition between Bronze Age and Iron Age communities. The slight univallate hillfort called Cadson Bury survives well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, function, social organisation, territorial significance, trade, agricultural practices, domestic arrangements and overall landscape context.

Details

The monument includes a slight univallate hillfort, situated at and enclosing the summit of a prominent and very steep sided hill called Cadson Bury Down, overlooking the valley of the River Lynher. The hillfort survives as an oval enclosure measuring approximately 275m long by 170m wide internally defined by a single rampart of up to 2m high internally with outer ditch of up to 1.3m deep. The interior of the hillfort is largely level and occupies a commanding defensive position. There are two inturned entrances to the east and west and a southern staggered breach may also be an original third entrance. Cadsonbury was first recorded in the 13th century, and its earliest depiction was on Martyn's map of 1748. It was described by Lysons in 1814.

Sources: HER:- PastScape Monument No:-436704

THE IRISH AND CARLYON
The place name Cell iwic occurs not only in the Arthurian legend but also, as the variant Caellwig in later Cornish history and is therefore certainly an area of the county and probably one of the Moorland. Although its site is in dispute, the signs are that It will eventually be permitted to settle where it already hovers between the hill forts of Killybury and Canyke-by-Callywith, that is in the Camel Valley. And this could be to the dismay of sceptics for Camlan also seems to fit this district. Charters clearly demonstrate that the present misnomer A| len, by which the Rivoi Camel's tributary is known instead of by its correct name Laine, originally applied to the Camel itself and was accurately rendered ALAN . As this River Alan or Camel twisted and turned, the Cornish epithet 'cam' meaning 'crooked' apparently prefixed not only the word 'heyle' meaning 'estuary' but also on occasion the name Alan. Thus, it would seem that the present name Camel is a corruption of one or both of the Cornish names for this river - Camheyle and CAM ALAN. ° It might therefore be interesting to seek the required conditions in the Camel Valley. Of six known stones in Cornwall which are inscribed in the Irish script copiprising unconnected strokes and called Ogham, five are on Bodmin Moor and three of these in the Camel area. Should the sixth seem curiously remote from the others at Truro, we may be forgiven for remembering that one of Arthur's reputed battle sites was on the 'River Treuroit . However and regarding names on the three Camel Ogham stones, that at St.Endellion-which also bears the early Christian Chi Rho symbol, 'X P‘,the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ - commemorates 'Brocagnus', identified^with the Irishman Brychan who arrived in Cornwall via Wales. Both names on the WorthyvaleOgham stone are Roman as is the one on the St. Kew memorial . x  An Irish incursion is certainly evident as is also a lingering Roman usage. The latter is hardly surprising in an area where Roman road stones at Boscastle and Tintagell and a 'camp of the legion' at Tregear have been found. Moreover, even AFTER the Roman cavalry station at Nanstallon meaning 'Vale of Alan' was abandoned, it is apparent that agents of Rome used the most accessible route to and from England across this north coast district at least as late as the fourth century when the Tintagel stone was inscribed. Ami,
as some 300 years of contact with Roman custom appears to have influenced the local

CORNWALL
For the group of miners whom Stevenson encountered , the process of partial absorption or assimilation had not even begun. It was perfectly natural, in this period of transition in particular, that they should keep together; for they had much in common, and not least the calling which they and their ancestors had followed for centuries. A pity that R.L.S. could not have overheard the talk among those up rooted men instead of having had to make a guess about its nature. More than likely it consisted not at all of “the secrets of their old-world mysterious race”—unless these be construed as the technicalities and adventures of tin and copper mining—but of simple and wistful evocations of the Cornish scene, which had become for them a precious memory since they had seen through the darkness far astern the last faint gleam of the Lizard light.
The fact remains that Stevenson was not favourably impressed. “Lady Hester Stanhope,” he wrote, “believed that she could make something great of the Cornish; for my part , I can make nothing of them at all. A division of races, older and more original than that of Babel, keeps this close, esoteric family apart from neighbouring Englishmen. Not even a Red Indian seems more foreign in my eyes. This is one of the lessons of travel—that some of the strangest races dwell next door to you at home . ”So far as I know , Stevenson was the only man of his times, Or any other, to have left on record a flat confession of failure to make anything at all of the Cornish; and I cannot help thinking that the Cornish may have been less responsible for Stevenson’s failure than he was himself, with his preconceived notion of race division—real enough in its way, it is
true, but easily bridged by a person with that imaginative sympathy which is among the predominant characteristics of the Keltic peoples and which, in much of his writing ,Stevenson displayed.
A very different impression might have been left upon R.L.S. if his contacts with Cornish miners had been in circumstances which brought out their real qualities; if, for example, he had sailed fifty years earlier from Falmouth in the brig Cambria and had had as fellow-passengers Cornish miners bound for the Mexican mines. On a boisterous March
209

from Highways and biways 1907

CH . X IV FOWEY 237

I said in my last chapter that all the greatest sea traditions of Cornwall are locked up in Fowey. I might have gone somewhat further; for indeed there was a time when this Cornish harbour led the kingdom in matters of seamanship, and not London, nor Plymouth, nor Dartmouth, nor even Yarmouth, nor any one among the privileged Cinque Ports could furnish such a gallant fleet or sailors so well used to speak with England’s enemies in the gate. For the town sent to the fleet which Edward III. collected for the siege of Calais the majestic contribution of forty-seven ships and no less than 770 men. Yarmouth sent forty-three, Dartmouth thirty-two, London twentyfive. No other port than Yarmouth approached the Cornish contribution. This is quite enough to show that in the past history of Fowey there lies some story well worth telling, some long
maturing greatness, some steady growth fostered by wise counsels and guided by the hands of prudent governors. Consider what is involved in the capacity to furnish and equip so large a fleet. Grant that they were not all Fowey ships, which is likely enough, for Fowey may have been in some degree a rendezvous for the adjoining coast. Yet making all deductions, enough remains to show that Fowey was a great and mighty town, far different relatively to the rest of England from its present lowly condition. And what was it then that checked the growth of a town so splendid, and thrust it back on insignificance ? Why, very largely the weak or timid counsels of an
English king, who broke the strongest weapon he possessed, and tossed away the splinters chiefly to gratify a foreign sovereign.
But before entering on this story look round Fowey, and see what manner of place it is. Fowey. The first thing which strikes a stranger coming to Fowey from the east is its singular similarity to Dartmouth. Here is the same deep harbour, fenced round by lofty h ills; the same narrow entrance guarded by twin towers, and once closed nightly by a chain ; the same winding river, flowing down a channel no less lovely than the Dart, from a town as beautiful and ancient as Totnes; the same little rival town on the hillside across the

could have been a memorial stone to either 'Cnegumus son of Genaius' or 'Genaius son of Cnegumus'.AntiquitiesEvidence of early medieval habitation at Mawgan is in the form of an inscribed pillar stone, located at the meeting of three roads at the center of the village; it bears an inscription that is no longer readable, but based on an old drawing and a photograph taken in 1936 it could have been a memorial stone to either 'Cnegumus son of Genaius' or 'Genaius son of Cnegumus'. The date of this inscription is not certain beyond having been carved before the twelfth century.At Trelowarren is the estate of the Vyvyan family who have owned it since 1427. The Halliggye Fogou at Trelowarren is the largest in Cornwall. Trelowarren House has a complex building history: the original house is mid 15th century and there are later parts dated 1662, 1698 and ca. 1750 (further additions were made during the 19th century)

Rivers and navigable creeks, p. 36. Tamar, Lynher, p. 38. Tide, or Tidi, p. 40. Seaton, ib.
Loo, or Eaft-Loo, ibid. ProfpoCt of Loo Bridge," ib. Duloo, or Weft Loo river, p. 41. fawy, ib.
Fal, 42, and it’s harbour. Hel, or Heyl river in Kerricr, p. 43. Lo or Low river in Kerrier, p 44.
A1
Heyl in Penwith, ibid. Ganal creek, p. 45. River Alan, al Lamel, ibid. Wade navigable rivers in
may be made notbeneficial, p. 47. Subject: to obftrudtions, p. 49.