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Prehistoric enclosure 325m west of Trewalla Farm

A Scheduled Monument in St. Cleer, Cornwall

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Coordinates

Latitude: 50.5133 / 50°30'47"N

Longitude: -4.48 / 4°28'47"W

OS Eastings: 224268.946134

OS Northings: 71107.677897

OS Grid: SX242711

Mapcode National: GBR NF.K129

Mapcode Global: FRA 17HP.Y8D

Entry Name: Prehistoric enclosure 325m west of Trewalla Farm

Scheduled Date: 3 June 1992

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1010434

English Heritage Legacy ID: 15090

County: Cornwall

Civil Parish: St. Cleer

Traditional County: Cornwall

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Cornwall

Church of England Parish: St Cleer

Church of England Diocese: Truro

Details

The monument comprises a sub-rectangular enclosure situated near Prehistoric
hut circles and field systems on the southern slope of Tregarrick Tor on SE
Bodmin Moor.
The enclosure survives with a boulder and rubble wall, up to 2m wide and 0.7m
high, enclosing an internal area of 0.65 hectares and measuring 28m ENE-WSW by
23m NNW-SSE. The wall contains occasional edge-set slabs along both its inner
and outer faces. The enclosure is almost square in shape, but extends further
to the west at its NW corner. The wall angle at that corner bounds the north
and west sides of a levelled, turf-covered platform, 4m diameter and 0.3m high
at its downslope edge, typical of the stances on which Prehistoric wooden
houses were constructed. A 6m diameter concentration of boulders cleared from
the enclosure's interior is situated against the northern wall's inner face
and centred 9m west of the NE corner. Soil washed down the hill-slope has
built up against, and partly masked, the northern sides of the enclosure's
northern and southern walls.

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

Bodmin Moor, the largest of the Cornish granite uplands, has long been
recognised to have exceptional preservation of archaeological remains. The
Moor has been the subject of detailed archaeological survey and is one of the
best recorded upland landscapes in England. The extensive relict landscapes of
prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval date provide direct evidence for human
exploitation of the Moor from the earliest prehistoric period onwards. The
well-preserved and often visible relationship between settlement sites, field
systems, ceremonial and funerary monuments as well as later industrial remains
provides significant insights into successive changes in the pattern of land
use through time. Within the landscape of Bodmin Moor are many discrete plots
of land enclosed by stone walls or banks of stone and earth, most of which
date to the Bronze Age (c.2000-700 BC), though earlier and later examples also
exist. They were constructed as stock pens or as protected areas for crop
growing and were sometimes subdivided to accommodate animal shelters and hut
circle settlements for farmers or herders. The size and form of enclosures may
therefore vary considerably, depending on their particular function. Their
variation in form, longevity and relationship to other monument classes
provides important information on the diversity of social organisation and
farming practices among prehistoric communities. They are highly
representative of their period and a substantial proportion of surviving
examples are worthy of protection.

This enclosure on Tregarrick Tor has survived well, displaying several
original internal features, and has suffered no evident disturbance. The
monument will also preserve contemporary deposits and land surfaces beneath
the hill-wash against its northern and southern walls. Its proximity to
broadly contemporary hut circles and field systems on Tregarrick Tor
demonstrates well the nature of land use during the Bronze Age.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
7/1991, Carter, A./RCHME, 1:2500 AP transcription for SX 2471,
7/1991, Cornwall SMR entry for PRN 1244,

Source: Historic England

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