Details

The monument includes part of an early-Christian cemetery situated to the north of Tintagel churchyard and above the steep cliffs at Glebe Cliff. The protected portion of the cemetery survives as a semi-circular bank of up to 6m wide and 1.4m high externally with a partially raised interior. To the south the enclosure bank continues as a slight scarp parallel with the churchyard wall. Within the interior are two mounds. The northern mound measures 15m long by 9m wide and 0.6m high and the south western mound measures 5m long by 2.5m wide and 0.3m high. The enclosure has been variously interpreted as a pre-conquest Christian cell; part of a univallate hillfort; a Roman signal station; or part of the demarcation of the early-Christian cemetery, complete with high status graves. The latter seems plausible since in 1991 a small service trench was cut across the north eastern part of the bank. It revealed the bank to be of dumped construction with no outer ditch but contained no diagnostic finds.
All modern path surfaces are excluded from the monument, but the ground beneath them is included.

Sources: HER:-
PastScape Monument No:-431901

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

This area of Tintagel is rich in archaeological material, excavations in 1991 revealed the churchyard itself dated back to the 6th century and contained cist graves, a demolished 12th century church and early 12th century walled graves. A Roman milestone, now in the church was once built into a stile at the east entrance of the churchyard and used as a coffin rest. As a result the area to the north of the church has undoubtedly experienced several different phases of active re-use and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, date, function, re-use, social, religious and ritual significance and overall landscape context.

Source: Historic England