The Journal has been maintained since March 2005 to promote awareness and the conservation of the incomparable but often-threatened heritage sites of Britain, Ireland and beyond.
A bright and sunny site open day on Saturday 14th September, 2024 allowed a grand opportunity to see first-hand the extraordinary archaeological work and associated finds occurring at Boden near Manaccan in the Parish of Saint Anthony in Cornwall’s Lizard Peninsula.
The fogou passage with a recently restored lintel stone.
Crowds poured into the site where work conducted under the supervision of archaeologist James Gossip and a team of professionals and volunteers supported by the Meneage Archaeology Group (MAG) is resulting in quite remarkable discoveries.
James Gossip addressing a large crowd at the Bronze Age settlement at Boden.
Thus far, and on land owned by local landowner and farmer, Mr. Christopher Hosken following his initial discovery and whose ongoing full cooperation and consent has allowed the work, the following has been revealed:
Part of a Middle Bronze age roundhouse containing a very large and highly decorated Trevisker Ware vessel dated to circa 1400BC.
A well preserved but roofless long passage of a fogou constructed from dry-stone walling probably constructed in the Early Iron Age, circa 400 BC.
A sub-rectangular enclosure contemporary with the fogou at its northern edge defined by a ditch approximately 2.5 metres deep and 3 metres wide. Radiocarbon dated residues from pottery suggest construction circa 400 BC.
Later use of the enclosure in the post-Roman period (6th century AD).
A well organised and fascinating guided tour of the site with refreshments and a book sale, a demonstration of flint knapping accompanied by displays of some of the finds made this day the great success that it was.
An urgent message has been circulated by the police Rural Affairs Team.
Between 15th August and 6th September 2024, more damage was caused to the giant cairn which sits between Longstone Cross (Long Tom) and Craddock Circle near Minions on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall.
The cairn
This site has suffered over the years with people moving quite large quantities of stones around to build ‘fairy stacks’, seats, low walls and barriers.
Sadly the end result is a protected Scheduled Monument which has been extensively altered and its place in the wider historic landscape potentially compromised as its construction and precise location is inextricably linked to other scheduled monuments nearby.
The Devon and Cornwall Police Rural Affairs Team are seeking to highlight the fact that Scheduled Monuments are protected in law and it is a criminal offence to damage them in any way.
Moving stones inside a scheduled monument is an act of damage and therefore constitutes the full offence.
Firstly, an apology for the hiatus in posting here lately. Various factors, including a family holiday, meant that the journal has not been getting the attention it deserves of late. We do have a backlog of articles pretty much ready to go though, so expect a more regular posting schedule to resume shortly.
A couple of weeks ago, a group of us gathered in Avebury for a Megameet picnic. The occasion was to remember our Chairman, Nigel Swift, who passed away earlier this year. Participants gathered from all corners of the British Isles; Cumbria, Hampshire, Lancashire, Cornwall, Merseyside, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire were all well represented, and one couple travelled all the way from Maryland in the USA specifically for the event! Sadly though, Nigel’s family members could not attend to see how loved and respected he was.
The group gathered in the southeast quadrant just before lunchtime, with much joy being expressed as old friends greeted each other (it had been 8 years since I personally last saw some of them! – Ed). There was much discussion as the picnic ensued, and copies of Nigel’s Order of Service were available to read, along with a collection of some of his poetry.
a happy band of Megameeters
After lunch, things turned a little more serious, and the group made their way to the trees on the southeast corner of the henge bank. Some words were spoken of Nigel and his passion for the sites we all hold dear. A small vase with some of his ashes was then passed around, and they were scattered at the base of the trees whilst his poetry was read aloud.
Under the beech where a part of Nigel will forever rest.
Returning to our ‘base’ near the Obelisk, some members of the group then split off to explore various aspects of the stones and the village. It was late afternoon when people started to say their goodbyes and drift off to go their separate ways.
In summary, a lovely day, with lovely weather and conversation, and even lovelier people! Nigel will be missed, but never forgotten.
As advised earlier this year, a Memorial Megameet for Nigel Swift, who sadly left us in February this year, will be held at Avebury stone circle, this coming Saturday 17th.
Nigel Swift
The Megameet is a long-standing tradition here at the Heritage Journal, dating back to 2003, when during a discussion on the user forums of the Modern Antiquarian website, several contributors put forward the idea of a ‘megameet’. That first megameet/picnic was subsequently held at Uffington White Horse in 2004. Heritage Action (and subsequently the Heritage Journal) was formed by the attendees at that meeting.
In 2006, another picnic was mooted, this time to be held in Avebury during the summer, and the term a ‘Megameet‘ was born. These informal gatherings, which usually involve discussions and a short ramble to nearby sites of interest, are often well attended. They have been held at various sites, such as the Rollright Stones over the years, but Avebury has become the spiritual home of the Megameet. Meetings are now traditionally held in the NE Quadrant of Avebury (near the Cove) in fine weather, and in the bar of the Red Lion if inclement. More recently, a book swap has been added to these meetings, where unwanted books of archaeological interest can find new homes. “Bring some, take some”
Away from the main megameets, several ad-hoc ‘minimeets’ have been held elsewhere over the years, most notably in Cumbria and Cornwall.
So if you are free this Saturday, please come along and raise a glass to Nigel with us. Be prepared for interesting discussions with lovely people – and don’t forget to bring your unwanted books for the swap…
The granite wheel-headed Mediaeval (1066 to 1539) cross now standing at High Cross, Constantine in Cornwall has had something of a chequered history during which it was both relocated and incurred substantial damage but now appears to have a rather more secure future.
High Cross is a hamlet situated in the parish of Constantine but around a mile east of the actual village centre, and the Mediaeval cross in question now stands on a grass island at the High Cross road junction surrounded by substantial granite boulders.
Constantine High Cross.
The cross was rediscovered by local men John Keat and Anton Noall as recently as Spring, 1992, it having come to light in a local hedge which had been heavily eroded by movement of cattle and which lay immediately adjacent to the old church path to Constantine.
The crosshead and a short portion of the shaft were recovered to the Tolmen Centre in Constantine, a former chapel and now a cultural centre and small museum.
During November, 1993, Andrew Langdon, Bard of Gorsedh Kernow, expert on Cornish crosses and author of many books on the subject met with representatives from Constantine Parish Council and Constantine Local History Group and together the party conducted a thorough search of the church path, hedges and fields in the hope of locating the missing cross shaft and base. Sadly, fortune did not smile on the volunteers and their efforts and the items remain missing.
During 1999, a new shaft and base stone both of granite were carved to fit and mount the cross and the monument was erected in its current location in April, 2000.
Just six months later and during October of that year, the recently placed cross was damaged following impact by a motor vehicle.
Work was undertaken and it was re-aligned with the cross head being re-pinned to the modern shaft.
The large granite boulders now found at the site were placed around the grass island as a form of defence against future motor vehicle collisions, sadly a common occurrence in Cornwall.
The actual cross head has a Latin Cross in relief on its principal face with the limbs expanding toward their ends. A narrow bead runs about the circumference of the head. The reverse has an equal-limbed cross contained within a double incised ring.
Constantine High Cross, reverse facewith protective boulder
Standing proud on its new shaft and base, the original cross remnant measures two feet ten inches in height, with the width of the head being one foot seven inches and the remaining original shaft being one foot two inches wide by between eight and six inches in thickness.
Strangely, the cross appears to enjoy no protected status and one can but hope that following a very uncertain past, its years ahead may be more secure.
This substantial menhir is found on a service road leading to Predannack airfield on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall. It is immediately adjacent to a house called most suitably ‘Chy an Menheere’.
Measuring some eight feet in height of which around six feet is visible above ground, being approximately two feet three inches in width and some two feet in thickness, the monument, which is of local stone, is considered to date from the Bronze Age (2,500BCE to 801BCE), stands on a garden wall and has suffered extreme erosion as well as a lean. At the time of our visit, it was extremely overgrown compared to several years earlier.
The Hervan Stone 2024
The Hervan Stone 2014
Toponymy
The local names represent a toponymic feast, with all being derived from the Cornish language and worthy of translation into the English language.
The Lizard was recorded as ‘Lesard’ in the period 1250CE to 1348CE and the name has been subject of study by the late Craig Weatherhill, a recognised expert in the field.
He considered that the name originated from the resemblance of the coast to a lizard’s tail when viewed from the sea or indeed may have been the personal name of a mariner.
Craig Weatherhill is not alone in suggesting that the original Brythonic Celtic name for the peninsula may have been ‘Predennek’, derived from the Cornish ‘predaniko’ translating into English as ‘British’ and his research indicates that this may have been one of Britain’s earliest place names which continues into modern times as Predannack, itself used not only in its singular form but also in other local place names, notably Predannack Wollas – ‘Lower Predannack’ – and Pedn Predannack – Predannack Headland.
The actual Hervan Menhir was recorded as ‘the stone called Hyrven’ in 1325CE in a declaration of the bounds of the moor of the Lords of Trevedes.
Hyrven and indeed the later Hervan are derived from the Cornish ‘hyr’ meaning ‘long’ and ‘ven’ being a consonant mutation, as occurs in the Celtic tongues, of ‘men’ meaning ‘stone’.
This effectively means that there is no need to qualify the name Hyrven or Hervan any further by adding ‘stone’ or ‘menhir’ as the name itself means ‘long stone’.
These names are a clue to the antiquity of not only the stone but of the area in which it stands.
Very aptly, the house upon whose boundary wall the stone stands has been named ‘Chy an Menheere’ which translated into English means ‘The Long stone House’.
Alarmingly, although the existence of the stone is widely recorded, it appears to enjoy no official protection.
Hervan is clearly visible from the public access road leading to the airfield.
References
Placenames in Cornwall and Scilly – Craig Weatherhill, Wessex Books in association with Westcountry Books, Launceston, Cornwall 2005
The Stonehenge tunnel has been cancelled forever, and the view of the stones from the A303 has been preserved. And yet the Heritage Journal didn’t splash a “Hooray!” online. The truth is, that the Heritage Journal’s decade-long resistance of the ‘Stonehenge tunnel’ has left us rather numb.
All those who opposed the Stonehenge tunnel agreed from the beginning that a lack of money would likely stop the tunnel. That was our puzzling dilemma. If there was never likely to be enough money and it could never prove value for money, if it didn’t protect or enhance the World Heritage Site, or solve the traffic issues of local residents or motorists crossing Wiltshire – why was the Stonehenge tunnel even a thing?
The government’s own heritage employees were behind the initial push for the 2013 -2024 edition of the tunnel.
For Historic England, the Stonehenge tunnel was a power play. If Unesco withdrew World Heritage Site status because of the tunnel, Historic England would be top dog in command of a prehistoric theme park.
The idea appealed to Tory politicians – the Stonehenge tunnel they couldn’t pay for was a mirage that would gain votes.
For the National Trust, the tunnel presented the opportunity to remove tarmac and traffic from their property at the taxpayer’s expense. This in turn presented a golden opportunity to usurp the English Heritage Visitor Centre with a National Trust ‘Stonehenge Landscape’ visitor centre near Countess (which would attract the vast majority of Stonehenge visitors because they travel from the direction of London).
Then of course, there is the traffic-plagued local resident and the delayed A303 motorist, both of whom were unwittingly played by the above politicians and heritage professionals.
The ‘tunnel that never was’ has left many bewildered and upset – some mistakenly blame the Labour Party, the Stonehenge Alliance, Unesco, or English Heritage. Those responsible have meanwhile got away with the Stonehenge tunnel scam 2013-2024.
Together with the National Trust, the government’s own heritage body – Historic England – were central in orchestrating a scandal that may yet rank alongside the Post Office Horizon saga. A fantasy, conducted by empire-building heritage professionals, was ultimately at the root of the heightened see-sawing hopes and fears both conservationists and local residents were subjected to for a decade. Those involved will never be identified or held to account.
We see no reason to celebrate this, we are though relieved that the devastating Stonehenge tunnel has gone for good.
The ancient town of Penryn in Cornwall stands by the river bearing its name and around a mile inland from Falmouth.
Penryn is a Cornish placename translating into English as ‘hill spur’ or ‘promontory’ and there have been substantial archaeological finds in the district from as early as Neolithic times.
The settlement was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 although there is ample evidence of human activity in the area dating back to the dawn of human history.
The town was founded in 1216 and Glasney College, a great centre of learning established during 1265 by Walter Branscombe (b.c1220 d.1280), Bishop of Exeter from 1258 until his death.
Glasney College from a drawing by Sir Ferdinand George, c1580.
Penryn’s parish church is found on the Northern edge of the town and stands above the river and in what was the village of Saint Gluvias with the church being dedicated to this saint.
Saint Gluvias
Saint Gluvias (b.unk d.unk) is known to have been the son of Gwynllyw Filwr (b. 450 d.529), King of Gwynllwg, a Welsh Kingdom bearing his name and a nephew of Saint Petroc the Wise.
It appears that Gluvias settled in the place now occupied by the church during the 6th century and converted many to Christianity before eventually returning to his homeland in what is now known as Wales where he later died possibly as a martyr, this possibly evidenced by the fact that in his will of 1438, Canon of Glasney College, James Michell (b.unk d.1438) left “1lb. of wax (for a candle) to the light of S. Gluvias, the Martyr.”
The Feast Day of Saint Gluvias occurs on 3rd May.
Saint Gluvias With Penryn Parish Church
There has been some suggestion that the current church and churchyard may have been constructed on an earlier lann – an early religious enclosure – but there is little archaeological evidence of this although the site is on raised ground and roughly circular with the remains of an embankment to the East of the churchyard.
St Gluvias Church seen from Church Hill, Penryn
Interestingly though, during the Middle Ages, the area surrounding the church site was called ‘Behethlan’ or ‘Bohelland’ suggesting the existence of such a lann before the later monastic settlement was established with the name now used for a local road.
With the existence of the nearby Glasney College, a place of great learning known across the rest of the British Isles and even further afield, the church of Saint Gluvias was constructed “new in stone” and consecrated on 25th July, 1318.
St Gluvias Church – view from the churchyard.
The Church of Saint Gluvias and the Collegiate College at Glasney become closely connected and no less than three successive Vicars of the Church became Provosts of the College.
It seems that a plain-an-gwarry (Cornish – ‘place of play’) existed near the church building as it is known that during Mediaeval times (1066 to 1539), Miracle Plays written at Glasney were performed here.
King Henry VIII’s (b.1491 d.1547) creation of the Church of England and the breaking of ties with Rome and the Catholic Church saw much bloodshed across Roman Catholic Cornwall and further afield. It marked the eventual destruction of Glasney College during 1548. This act has echoed down the centuries since due to the enormous loss of literature and the damage caused to the Cornish language and culture.
Unlike its larger and more significant neighbour though, Saint Gluvias Church was to survive the upheavals and violence of the Reformation with the oldest remaining part of the building being the 15th century tower, parts of the North wall and other fragmentary remains together with some original 15th century beams remaining in the roof above the chancel. Sadly though, many fine treasures were taken from the church during that period including jewelled items, gold plates and other objects to be sold off with the funds raised used to pay for the construction of Penryn’s market house.
The 15th century three stage embattled tower is in the Perpendicular style and has angled buttresses and a stair turret set on the North West corner. Unusually it contains a peal of eight bells mounted on a steel frame in the belfry.
The tower has a beautiful stained glass window depicting a scene from the Holy Bible dedicated to the memory of Major Frederick Griffin (b.unk) and his wife Elizabeth (b.unk) who both died and were buried in India during 1859 and 1864 respectively.
The incoming daylight shining through this window creates an ephemeral image when viewed from the tower’s internal base looking towards the glass tower screen and the nave.
St Gluvias Church – the tower stained-glass window reflected in the tower’s glass screen
The church was largely rebuilt during the 18th century in what can be regarded as a Georgian Grecian style and is entered via the South porch allowing access to the interior of the building with its central nave and chancel, North and South aisles, the former with the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament and the latter with a Lady Chapel named in honour of Mary, Mother of Jesus and known as the Chapel of the Good Shepherd.
By 1881, it was reported that the church needed repair and a restoration was undertaken under the supervision of the renowned church architect James Piers St Aubyn (b.1815 d.1895).
During May, 1941 several bombs were dropped by German aircraft over Penryn which resulted in the destruction of 23 houses and the death of 18 persons. Four months later, the church was subject of a near miss by a landmine dropped by parachute from a German bomber plane during Saturday 6th September, 1941. This landed some 30 yards from the building but fortunately did not explode although one person was reported injured and church services the following day were cancelled.
The architect Sir John Ninian Comper (b.1864 d.1960), oversaw changes to the church building during the 1950s and the chancel roof was lowered, slate headstones laid on the floor and internal walls whitened. This was followed by a re-siting of the organ, pulpit and font and a rearrangement of choir stalls and removal of pews leaving the church as it is seen today.
The church interior has several monuments and brasses of interest the oldest of which are the Killigrew brasses commemorating local gentleman and successful trader Thomas Killigrew who died in 1484 and his wife and daughters.
In addition to other wall mounted memorials, the 14 Stations of the Cross are displayed around the church.
Fragmentary remains of the structure of Glasney College are found inside the church whilst outside, a bowl formerly used at the College stands near the porch having been moved to the relative safety of Saint Gluvias and its churchyard during 1970. Other fragments are on display in the nearby Penryn Town Museum situated beneath the Town Hall in Higher Market Street just up the hill from the monument commemorating the loss of Glasney and the Prayer Book Rebellion and to which a visit is highly recommended.
St Gluvias Church – the stone bowl previously of Glasney College.
We are grateful to the Reverend Emma Durose and Mrs. Kathryn Hodge for enabling our visit and as the Church of Saint Gluvias in Penryn remains a place of Christian worship throughout the week, it is strongly recommended that contact be made with the Church Warden before undertaking a visit.
References
Placenames in Cornwall and Scilly – Craig Weatherhill, Wessex Books in association with Westcountry Books, Launceston, Cornwall 2005
A Short Account of the History of Penryn’s St. Gluvias Church – Rita Tregellas Pope, Dyllansow Truran Publications, 2004
Penryn Heritage Trail – Vicky and John Kirby, Penryn Town Museum, Cornwall 2010
The ancient town of Penryn in Cornwall stands by the river bearing its name and around a mile inland from Falmouth.
Penryn is a Cornish placename translating into English as ‘hill spur’ or ‘promontory’ and there have been substantial archaeological finds from as early as Neolithic times in the district.
The settlement was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 although there is ample evidence of human activity in the area dating back to the dawn of human history.
The town grew in importance and was the home of Glasney College, a Collegiate Church and renowned centre of learning, founded by Bishop Walter Branscombe (b. c1220 d.1280) in 1265.
By 1322, the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary had been built in Penryn.
In the mid 1300s, half the local population were Bretons with whom the Cornish shared close affinity and the town flourished becoming an important trading port.
Tragedy was to strike in 1548 when as a result of King Henry VIII’s (b.1491 d.1547) dissolution of the monasteries, Glasney College was destroyed resulting in enormous loss of literature and learning, the near death of the Cornish language, the college having produced many written documents, books and religious plays in that tongue, as well as the destruction of the Chapel of Saint Mary. Further, the town’s population fell foul to the Black Death and was utterly decimated.
The Cornish rebellion broke out in 1549 in resistance to the imposition of the Church of England and many from Penryn left to join the Cornish ‘Prayerbook Rebellion’.
It is known that a Mediaeval (1066 to 1539) fish market building once stood at the junction of Saint Thomas Street with Broad Street in the town centre.
A ‘Fish Cross’ is mentioned in a survey of 1788 and the actual market still existed in 1895 by which time the building’s demolition was commenced and the granite Mediaeval cross which had stood on the site was moved around 330 feet to the Eastern end of Penryn Town Hall and mounted on a modern base where it has remained to this day.
The Penryn ‘Fish Cross’
Still known as the ‘Fish Cross’, the monument now stands to an overall height of around four feet four inches of which the rounded top cross stone measures one foot three inches.
The monument measures a little over eight inches in thickness, the face has been cut back, and an equal limbed cross created with arms each measuring four inches. The sides and reverse face have been left without any decoration.
The cross head appears to have been subject to modification over the years and was probably originally mounted on a shaft. As previously noted, the current base dates from more modern times.
Immediately behind the cross, Penryn Town Hall is home to the eclectic and fascinating Penryn Museum which contains a wide range of exhibits dating from the earliest to rather more recent times.
The 18th century building was a former market house, served as a town gaol and stands on the site of the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary which was destroyed during the Reformation.
The displays which are changed from time to time, feature architectural artefacts recovered from the nearby Glasney College site, various archaeological finds, exhibits relating to the local police and fire services, personal effects donated to the museum, reference books and much more besides, including a mummified rat said to have been one of those responsible for the introduction of the Black Death to the town!
Glasney College artefacts in the museum
A mummified ‘plague rat‘
More Glasney College artefacts
A visit is highly recommended and entrance is currently free of charge with donations being welcomed and books available for sale.
We are grateful to the volunteer curator Charles Wenmoth and his team for welcoming us to the museum and a link to the Penryn Town Museum website may be found here with opening times published therein: http://penrynhistory.co.uk/
Both the Fish Cross and Penryn Town Hall are Scheduled Listed Buildings.
References
Placenames in Cornwall and Scilly – Craig Weatherhill, Wessex Books in association with Westcountry Books, Launceston, Cornwall 2005
Penryn Heritage Trail – Vicky and John Kirby, Penryn Town Museum, Cornwall 2010
Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site (SSWHS) has been given permission to appeal the decision earlier this year by Mr Justice Holgate. He dismissed SSWHS’s application for judicial review of the Government’s decision to approve a highly damaging, £2.5bn road scheme through Stonehenge World Heritage Site, for a second time.
UNESCO, five planning inspectors and over 238,000 people are all opposed to National Highways’ highly damaging plans. Save Stonehenge WHS’s legal action had been the only thing stopping the giant earthmovers from entering this 5,000-year-old landscape.
John Adams, chair of the Stonehenge Alliance and one of the 3 directors of SSWHS, said:
“This is extremely good news. All those who care passionately about our cultural heritage can breathe a sigh of relief. We now have a new opportunity for the Government decision to be thoroughly scrutinised.
“This road scheme would be incredibly damaging to Stonehenge World Heritage Site. Yet, the Government doesn’t seem to care and is desperately trying to bulldoze through this decision before it is thrown out of office.”
Leigh Day solicitor Rowan Smith said:
“This news is very encouraging for our client. In granting permission to appeal, the Court of Appeal acknowledged the scale of public interest around ensuring that a decision about the future of Stonehenge is lawful.
“The Court said there is a compelling reason for an appeal hearing. Our client is looking forward to presenting arguments about the fairness of the decision-making process relating to the future of Stonehenge as well as compliance with international law protecting the World Heritage Site.”
SSWHS now has to raise a further £34,000 for the Appeal Court. Accordingly, the CrowdJustice page has a new target of £134,000. This is to raise the additional funds needed for the hearing at the Court of Appeal.
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