Details

The monument includes a round, situated on the summit of a steep-sided hill, overlooking the estuary of the Helford River by Gweek. The round survives as an oval enclosure of approximately 66m long by 60m wide with its outer rampart largely fossilised by field hedges of up to 1.6m high with a largely buried outer ditch.

The round was first recorded by Polwhele in 1803, noted by R Thomas in 1851 and described by Henderson in the 1920's. In 1980 a watching brief was carried out when a pipeline was laid across the interior. This showed the outer ditch to be steep sided and 2.5m wide at the top. The rampart was composed of loose stone and measured 3m wide at the base. No finds were recovered.

Sources: HER:-
PastScape Monument No:-427076

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

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. Despite being cut by a pipeline, the round 260m south of Tenament Farm survives well and will contain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its construction, longevity, abandonment, agricultural practices, trade, domestic arrangements, social organisation and overall landscape context.

Source: Historic England