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Summary

Remains of a once continuous breastwork.

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 15477: PREHISTORIC LINEAR BOUNDARY AND CIVIL WAR FIELDWORKS ON NORTH WESTERN TOLL'S HILL, ST MARY'S

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SV 91 SW 264
• National Record of the Historic Environment to Historic Environment Records data transfer
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 1213379
• Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 7464

Monument Type(s):

• BREASTWORK? (Civil War (1642 to 1651) - 1642 AD to 1651 AD)

Full description

The remains of a possible Post Medieval breastwork on the north west side of Toll's Hill, St Mary's. The possible breast work may have once formed part of continuous earthwork with remains on the opposite side of the hill, and potentially further in the opposite direction, towards towards Innisidgen Hill. The breastwork is illustrated on the 1908 second edition 1:2500 OS map (1).

Troutbeck records a breastwork at approximately this location in 1794 (2): 'On the shore around this bay [Watermill Bay] is a breastwork, about a quarter of a mile long'. The breastwork forms part of that described by O'Neil (3), running from Innisidgen Hill to Toll's Island.

The site was visited in 1978 (4). The OS field worker identified the breastwork on the north west side of the hill from SV 9263 1214 - SV 9269 1217, 0.7m high on the inner, landward side, and 0.8m on the outer side. There were unsurveyable traces of an inner ditch 0.4m deep.

The site is visited in 1988 (5) and the breastwork found to be as described by the OS fieldworker. The banks of earth and stone, averaged 1.0m wide. The ditch where visible at around SV 9265 1215, averaged 1.0m wide and 0.2m deep. The remaining banks had themselves been damaged by coastal erosion in places, causing several gaps.

The site was visited in 2008-10 (6, 7). It was described as a very slight earthwork and unconvincing as a breastwork.

The monument was included in the Schedule on 21/1/1999.

Ordnance Survey, 1976, OS76/F164/73 (Aerial Photograph). SCO29973.

Ordnance Survey, 1976, OS76/F164/74 (Aerial Photograph). SCO29974.

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1900s, 2nd Edition 1:2500 Map, Cornwall LXXXVII.8 (Cartographic materials). SCO4050.

<2> Troutbeck, J, 1796, Survey of the Ancient and Present State of the Scilly Islands, 96 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4965.

<3> O'Neil, BH St J, 1961, Isles of Scilly MOW Guide, 32 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4042.

<4> Field Investigator's Comments, OS/Barton, JG 1978 (Survey). SCO29739.

<5> Field Investigator's Comments, CAU/Parkes, C 1988 (Survey). SCO29739.

<6> Field Investigator's Comments, HE/Bowden, M (Survey). SCO29739.

<7> Bowden, M, 2011, Isles of Scilly Military Defences, 1540-1951: Earthwork Sites and Minor Features, 38 (Cornwall Event Report). SCO25530.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• ECO3819 - Isles of Scilly Military Defences, 1540-1951 (Ref: RDRS 56-2011)

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