For important guidance on the use of this record, please click here.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

The remains of a cliff castle, consisting of double ramparts 80m long and averaging 2.3m high.

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument CO519: Carvannel cliff castle

Other References/Statuses

• Heritage at Risk (National): English Heritage, South West
• National Mapping Programme (Morph No.): 343.35&36
• National Monuments Record: SW 64 SW 6
• National Record of the Historic Environment to Historic Environment Records data transfer
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 426191
• OS No. (OS Quarter-sheet and OS No.): SW64SW 6
• Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 26605
• SMR No. (OS Quarter-sheet and SMR No.): SW64SW 42

Monument Type(s):

• CLIFF CASTLE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)

Full description

Crane Castle, the remains of an Iron Age promontory fort, badly affected by coastal erosion. The name ‘Crane’ may be a corruption of the Cornish ‘Car (Ker) Hen’, meaning old or abandoned fort (4).

The fort is first mentioned by Leland in 1540, who names it ‘Coombe Castelle’ (1). The site was also described by Borlase in the middle of the eighteenth century, by which time the sites erosion resembled its present condition (2).

In 1970 the OS described the site as consisting of double ramparts 80m long and averaging 2.3m high. There is no trace of an entrance. The remainder of the enclosed area has disappeared as a result of large scale cliff erosion (3).

In 1971 Tangye described the monument as consisting of an ‘outer ditch, 5 ft. deep, 6 ft. wide, 260 ft. long. Outer bank, width across base 42 ft., height from base about 10 ft., 280 ft. long. Inner ditch, the 'Bowling Green'. 6 ft. wide at base; inner bank, total height measured up the slope, 23 ft., and 233 ft. long. (The banks appear to consist of both earth and stone)’. (4).

A sherd of Early Iron Age SW 'B' type pottery was allegedly found on the site (5).

Recent evaluations have produced a sherd of Romano-British pottery, possibly Oxfordshire Colour-Coated ware (6).

Both the bivallate bank and the later enclosure are visible on air photographs (p1, p2) and were plotted for the NMP.

UNKNOWN, 1---, VOL OF MISC EXTRACTS, DRAWINGS AND PRINTS, 4414 (Unedited Source). SCO5375.

Thomas, R, 1851, Letters to the West Briton, NO 33 (Article in newspaper). SCO4699.

Henderson, C, 1914, Notebooks of Parochial Antiquities, VOL II, 317 (Unpublished document). SCO3503.

Thomas, AC, 1950, Folk-Lore of the Camborne District, 8 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4614.

THOMAS, AC, 1965, UNKNOWN TITLE, (NS) VOL VI, 19 (Unedited Source). SCO7933.

Tangye, M, 1966, Illogan Checklist, VOL 5, 71 (Article in Journal). SCO4531.

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

Hogg, AHA, 1979, British Hill-Forts: An Index, 215 (Monograph in Series). SCO30166.

ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2009, Heritage at Risk Register 2009 South West (Bibliographic reference). SCO24113.

ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2010, Heritage at Risk Register 2010 South West (Bibliographic reference). SCO24114.

ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011 South West (Bibliographic reference). SCO24115.

ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2012, Heritage at Risk Register 2012 South West (Bibliographic reference). SCO25275.

ENGLISH HERITAGE, 2014, Heritage at Risk Register 2014 South West (Bibliographic reference). SCO26037.

<1> Toulmin Smith, L (Ed), 1907, The Itinerary of John Leland (Bibliographic reference). SCO4949.

RAF, 1946, 3G/TUD/210/5179 (Photographic Record). SCO11081.

<2> Borlase, W, 1769, Antiquities Historical and Monumental of the County of Cornwall, 313 (Bibliographic reference). SCO2878.

NMR, 1983, SW6344/8 (Photographic Record). SCO16813.

<3> Field Investigator's Comments, OS/Fletcher, M. 1970. (Survey). SCO29739.

<4> Tangye, M, 1971, Earthworks in the Parish of Illogan, VOL 10, 43 (Article in Journal). SCO4529.

<5> Thomas, AC, 1958, Gwithian: Ten Years Work, 1949-1958, 15-16 (Booklet). SCO4619.

<6> Historic Environment Projects, 2013, Crane Castle, Illogan, Cornwall (Report). SCO27608.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• ECO4742 - Crane Castle, Illogan, Cornwall (Ref: 2013R019)
• ECO4053 - Crane Castle, Illogan: Geophyscial Survey, 2013 (Ref: NTC123)

Related records

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.