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Summary

An Iron Age multivallate defended enclosure excavated by Radford in 1936-37.

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument CO122: Castle Dore (camp)

Other References/Statuses

• National Mapping Programme (Morph No.): 1079.4
• OS No. (OS Quarter-sheet and OS No.): SX15SW 1
• Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 26690
• SMR No. (OS Quarter-sheet and SMR No.): SX15SW 1

Monument Type(s):

• HILLFORT (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)

Full description

Castle Dore is marked on current OS maps (b10). William of Worcester described it as "a delapidated castle by the name of Dirford, near Golant" (b8). Leland called it 'Castledour' (b3). The site is a multivallate defended enclosure. McLauchlan illustrates Castle Dore with three banks and a possible obliterated outwork on the east side in Castle Meadow (b4). Parts of the interior (26690.02) and defences (26690.01) were excavated by Radford in 1936-37 (b7). Excavation indicated that Castle Dore originated as a multivallate site and that the entrance was altered during its occupation (26690.01). Some twenty Iron Age huts were located in the interior (2660.02). Pottery finds mainly consisted of south-west decorated types and cordoned wares (26690.05). Abraded amphora sherds were also recovered. Radford attributed lines of post holes, the amphorae and a bead (26690.07) to a post-Roman phase, consisting of a hall with an attached kitchen (26690.04) which he interpreted as the palace of King Mark. However, the archaeological evidence for this phase was extremely scant (b9) due to plough damage which had removed much of the stratigraphy. Quinnell and Harris (b12) have re-examined the evidence and have re-dated Radford's post-Roman phase to the Iron Age, with all structural phases falling between C4 to C1 BC. The rectangular structures are now interpreted as granaries (26690.03). Fitzpatrick dates the bead finds to between the mid-C3 to later-C2 BC (26690.07). No Roman or post-Roman finds have come from the site (b7). The area around the site was the scene of a civil war battle in 1644 (26823).
The defences of Castle Dore consist of two circular ramparts with associated ditches. The inner ditch is extant whilst that associated with the outer rampart can be traced although it is now infilled on the west side of the earthwork, the banks and ditches are contiguous whilst on the east side the banks diverge to form an enclosure in front of the inner entrance (b2). In 1849 McLauchlan published a plan which shows three circular banks with an additional outwork on the east side in a field called Castle Meadow. McLauchlan comments that this outwork was barely visible (b1). There is now no trace of this feature. Of the circular banks, McLauchlan's middle one appears to be a counterscarp from the inner ditch. Radford's excavation in 1936-37 indicated that the two ramparts were of glacis construction and originally of equal size (h1). During the occupation of the hillfort, the inner bank was raised to 2.5m high and revetted with stone. At the same time the inner entrance was re-designed with an inturned entrance passage. The outer entrance was not excavated. A ditched and banked roadway linked the two entrances, with entrances into enclosures on either side (b2). Survey by the OS indicates that other breaches in the ramparts are modern (h3). The site was plotted from aerial photographs during the Cornwall NMP. Two potential annex enclosures are visible as cropmarks on the southern and eastern sides of the main hillfort (p1).

--------------------------------
Site history:
2: 1969. OS
3: 1979. SHEPPARD, PA / DOE
4: 1987. LUXULYAN VALLEY PROJECT
5: 1988. PRESTON-JONES, A / HBMC
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MCLAUCHLAN, H, Notes on the Duchy Manors in Cornwall, and the Castles & Earth-works on them (Notebook). SCO27510.

<1> Polwhele, R, 1803, History of Cornwall, 207-208 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4140.

CAU, 1993, F42/65-6 (Photographic Record). SCO18251.

<2> Rashleigh, EW, 1885, Notes on the Parish of Golant, 5, 13, 17 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4217.

<3> Leland, J, 1535, The Itinerary of John Leland (Bibliographic reference). SCO3862.

<4> MCLAUCHLAN, H, 1849, UNKNOWN TITLE, 29-31 (Unedited Source). SCO6023.

<5> Page, W (Editor), 1906, Victoria History of the County of Cornwall, VOL I, 462 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4068.

<6> Gover, JEB, 1948, Place-Names of Cornwall, 420 (Bibliographic reference). SCO3402.

<7> Radford, CAR, 1951, Report on the Excavations at Castle Dore, (NS) VOL 1, APPENDIX (Article in Journal). SCO5144.

<8> Harvey, J (Ed), 1969, Itineraries of William of Worcestre (Bibliographic reference). SCO3466.

<9> Fox, A, 1964, South West England, 198 (Bibliographic reference). SCO3332.

<10> Ordnance Survey, 1970s, 1:10,000 OS Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4045.

<11> PADEL, OJ, 1981, CAMBRIDGE MEDIEVAL CELTIC STUDIES, VOL 1 (Unedited Source). SCO8624.

<12> Quinnell, H & Harris, DG, 1985, Castle Dore: The Chronology Reconsidered, VOL 24, 123-131 (Article in Journal). SCO4207.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• ECO2239 - Castle Dore

Related records

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