Details

The scheduling includes a later prehistoric to Romano-British round with an
annexe, situated on a slight south west slope on top of a ridge east of
Trispen. The overall plan is irregular, the sub-circular round and the roughly
crescentic annexe on its west side together measuring up to 130m WSW-ENE by
90m NNW-SSE.
The round measures about 90m across. It has an enclosing bank 10m-16m wide and
0.6m-0.9m high externally and up to 0.2m high internally. The exposed material
of the bank is shillet stones, mostly under 0.1m across, with some earth. On
the north east side, it is modified to form part of a modern field boundary
bank about 1.8m wide at its base and up to 1.2m high, with post-medieval type
stone revetments either side. The external ditch is around 13m wide and 0.3m-
0.7m deep. The round's interior is fairly level.
The approximate external dimensions of the annexe are 65m north-south by 50m
east-west. It has an enclosing bank of earth and stone, visible on the north
side as a slight earthwork which, by analogy with similar sites, extends
around the east and south sides. An external ditch, now buried, appears on
aerial photographs which also show buried remains of a sub-oval feature on the
north west edge of the annexe ditch, considered to be the remains of an
associated house or small enclosure.
The modern water tanks, all associated piping and well fittings, drinking
trough and concrete block steps 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.

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. Consequently, sites with significant surviving remains will normally
be considered to be of national importance.

The round and annexe 720m WSW of Tregear survive reasonably well, despite some
reduction and modification of the enclosing banks and ditches. The old land
surface underlying the upstanding earthworks and remains of buildings,
structures and other deposits associated with these will survive.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Padel, O J, Cornish placename elements, (1985), 50, 223
Thomas, R, Letter to the West Briton, (1851)
Other
Dyer, CA, Cornwall Mapping Project, (1999)
MS at RIC library, Truro, Henderson, C, Parochial Antiquities, Parochial Antiquities, (1917)
SW 85 SE 4, Fletcher, MJ, Ordnance Survey Index Card, (1970)
Title: Ladock Tithe Apportionment
Source Date: 1840
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:
487
Title: Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Map
Source Date: 1880
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Title: Ordnance Survey 1:2500 Map
Source Date: 1908
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Title: Ordnance Survey 2" drawing
Source Date: 1811
Author:
Publisher:
Surveyor:

Source: Historic England