Iron Age Settlements - Ancient Penwith | Cornwall

Ancient Penwith
The prehistoric landscape of West Penwith, the Land's End peninsula, Cornwall
Ancient Penwith
Ancient Penwith
The prehistoric landscape of the Land's End Peninsula
Ancient Penwith
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Iron Age Settlements

Settlements and Homesteads

Bodrifty reconstructed iron age round hut
Bodrifty reconstructed iron age round hutAround the Late Bronze Age, from about 1200 BCE onwards, a new kind of dwelling came into being, becoming the common standard in the Iron Age. Roundhuts (hut circles) were made of a low circular wall on top of which were placed poles in a conical shape, with a thatched roof. They had a fire in the centre. This was a family home, some roundhuts having alcoves serving as rooms.

In the Neolithic and earlier Bronze Age, to build a house or settlement it was often necessary to clear woodland, so plenty of wood was available for construction of wooden buildings. In the Iron Age, with increasing population and decreasing amounts of available timber, the thatched roundhut design became common.

Reconstructions have been made in modern times, such as that at Bodrifty in Penwith. Sometimes these stood alone, sometimes in settlements, of which there are many around Penwith. Some of the best examples are at Bodrifty, Bosullow Trehyllis, Bosporthennis, Goldherring, Lanyon, Sperris and Wicca near Zennor, on Gurnard's Head and on top of Trencrom Hill.

Most of these nowadays appear as piles of stones that get lost in the bracken in summertime, but two, at Carn Euny and Chysauster, are preserved and open to the public. Over the years, CASPN, the Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network, has done a lot to keep such sites well maintained.
Bigger that roundhuts were courtyard houses, a compound enclosing a partly-roofed courtyard, surrounded by several rooms with their doors facing into the courtyard, including a main room opposite the main door to the outside, usually on the leeward side of the building.

Courtyard houses are unique to West Cornwall, built to withstand the weather. Carn Euny and Chysauster were courtyard house villages, while many villages had courtyard houses amongst them, at Bosullow Trehyllys, Mulfra Vean, Goldherring, Crankan, Nanquidno, Bosporthennis, Croftoe and Porthmeor (Morvah).
Settlements
Prehistoric settlements, late Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman period - roundhuts and courtyard houses. Solitary hut circles mostly not included.

Beehive Hut Bosporthennis beehive hut, aka. The Crellas. Believed to be an above-ground fogou. Purpose as yet uncertain. SW 4378 3605. 50.168958 -5.5894349.
Bodrifty Iron Age Settlement. Reconstructed roundhut nearby. SW 445 354. 50.163444 -5.578896.
Bosigran 1 Bosigran late Bronze Age settlement. SW 4205 3677. 50.174679 -5.614057.|
Bosigran 4 Courtyard settlement with fogou. SW 4276 3712. 50.178130 -5.6043710.
Bosiliack Huts Late Bronze Age village, aka Lanyon. Fourteen roundhuts. SW 4283 3440. 50.153746 -5.601555.
Bosporthennis One of many settlements at Bosporthennis. Two courtyard houses with other roundhuts and field systems nearby. Iron age with medieval modifications. SW 4379 3599. 50.168433 -5.589213.
Bosullow Trehyllis Iron age courtyard house settlement, with well at SW 4087 3430. SW 4091 3422. 50.152009 -5.6284484.
Boswarva Carn Iron age settlement. SW 429 329. 50.140313 -5.599565.
Botrea Courtyard house, Iron Age. SW 4042 3076. 50.120026 -5.6327436.
Carnaquidden Downs Four Bronze Age hut circles. SW 4658 3568. 50.166851 -5.5500170.
Carn Euny Iron age settlement with fogou and nearby wells, restored. SW 4024 2885. 50.102804 -5.6339570.
Chysauster ancient village, Romano-British period, with earlier origins, restored. SW 472 350. 50.161012 -5.5409011.
Chysauster 2 Hut circles. SW 476346. 50.157592 -5.5350467.
Foage courtyard house settlement with fogou. SW 4660 3760. 50.184094 -5.5510164.
Goldherring ancient  settlement, probably for artisans. SW 4105 2813. 50.096694 -5.622166. |  Ancient well at SW 4117 2823. 50.097645 -5.6205589.
Higher Bodinnar courtyard house settlement. SW 4111 2821. 50.135217 -5.6187783.
Mulfra Vean settlement. SW 454 349. 50.159344 -5.5659852.
Nanjulian ancient courtyard house settlement. SW 3615 2888. 50.101270 -5.691049.
Nanquidno Downs hut circle settlement. SW 3673 2882. 50.100989 -5.6829151.
Porthmeor settlement complex with fogou. SW 4341 3703. 50.177604 -5.595225.
Sperris Croft ancient village. SW 4729 3841. 50.191574 -5.5417623.
Treen courtyard house settlement, well preserved. SW 4373 3721. 50.179359 -5.5908737.
Trevean 1 ancient settlement. SW 414 353. 50.161203 -5.6221429.
Trewey Bronze age settlement. SW 4634 3709. 50.179405 -5.5543109.
Wicca Round ancient settlement. SW 473 386. 50.193370 -5.5418953.
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