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Summary

The water supply for Tintagel Island comes entirely from rainwater and although it appears now to last throughout the year, its availabilty would have supported only twenty or thirty people.

Protected Status: None recorded

Other References/Statuses

• National Mapping Programme (Morph No.): 1062.1
• Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 23165.56
• SMR No. (OS Quarter-sheet and SMR No.): SX08NE 2.12

Monument Type(s):

• WELL (Romano British - 43 AD to 409 AD)
• WELL (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
• WELL (Post Medieval - 1540 AD to 1900 AD)

Full description

The water supply for Tintagel Island comes entirely from rainwater and although it appears now to last throughout the year, its availabilty would have supported only twenty or thirty people. This would have been a vital factor in influencing both desinty and duration of occupation during the Romano-British and Medieval periods. The location of springs that are presently known and could have been used include a spring at the extreme south of the island; a well of possible medieval date and a spring to the south west of site A; a spring or well on the edge of the plateau close to the chapel; and another spring near site B which was built into a basin in medieval times; a well or spring downslope from the tunnel which appears to have been a built well but which is of unknown date; and an area later made into a medieval well on the southern edge of the plateau. The medieval well due west of site A was excavated by Radford (h1) and was said to be over 4.0M deep. Its upper part is collared with stones and it produced a few thirteenth century sherds (b8, b15). It is possible that water collected in the stone built drains running around the island ward (h6, b15) could have provided a temporary additional supply, and the structure excavated in 1988 may have been a water storage sump (h11, b16). A water pipe to deliver water to the mine workings on the island was installed in the nineteenth century (b14). The location of this well is visible on aerial photographs (p5). The monument was included in the Schedule on 9/10/1981 and the scheduling updated on 18/11/1996.

--------------------------------
Site history:
2: 1976. QUINNELL, NV / OS
3: 1976. SHEPPARD, PA / DOE
5: 1982. DARK, K / UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
7: 1984. RCHME
8: 1985. PRESTON JONES, AND HARTGROVES, S / CAU
10: 1986. THOMAS, C / RCHME
12: 1988. THORPE, C / CAU
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<1> Leland, J, 1535, The Itinerary of John Leland (Bibliographic reference). SCO3862.

OSP, 1973, 73/005/ 235 - 6 (Photographic Record). SCO15488.

CUC, 19, AX 32 - 4, 36 (Photographic Record). SCO9317.

<2> Carew, R, 1969, The Survey of Cornwall 1602, 191 (Bibliographic reference). SCO3044.

<3> Wilkinson, JJ, 1871, Tintagel Castle, VOL 3, 231 (Article in Journal). SCO5049.

JAT, 19, CORNFILM 2.23A,26A,28A,29A (Photographic Record). SCO9330.

<4> WHITLEY, HM, 1885, NOTES ON GRENVILLE'S PLOT OF TINTAGEL CASTLE (Unedited Source). SCO6437.

CAU, 1989, VARIOUS (Photographic Record). SCO18009.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 1900s, 2nd Edition 1:2500 Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4050.

NMR, 1999, SX0489/31-2 (Photographic Record). SCO18811.

<6> Radford, CAR, 1935, Tintagel Castle (DOE Guide) (Bibliographic reference). SCO4214.

<7> Ordnance Survey, 1970s, 1:10,000 OS Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4045.

<8> Radford, CAR, 1935, Tintagel Castle (DOE Guide) (Bibliographic reference). SCO4214.

<9> Thomas, AC, 1981, A Provisional List of Imported Pottery from Post Roman Western Britain & Ireland (Bibliographic reference). SCO4597.

<10> Browse, RG, 1982, Tintagel Castle, VOL 21, 189-190 (Article in Journal). SCO2926.

<11> Thomas, AC, 1984, Tintagel Site Report, 25/5/1984 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4640.

<12> THOMAS, AC, 1986, TINTAGEL CASTLE (ENGLISH HERITAGE GUIDE BOOK) (Unedited Source). SCO8852.

<14> Hartgroves, S & Walker, R, 1989, Excavations in the Lower Ward, Tintagel Castle, 1986 (Cornish Studies No.16, 1988), VOL 16, 9-30 (Cornwall Event Report). SCO5116.

<15> Thomas, AC, 1988, Minor Sites at Tintagel Island, VOL 16, 31-48 (Article in Journal). SCO4627.

<16> Thomas, AC, 1988, Cau Excavations at Tintagel Island in 1988, VOL 16, 49-60 (Article in Journal). SCO4600.

<17> Padel, OJ, 1988, Tintagel in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries, VOL 16, 61-66 (Article in Journal). SCO5135.

<18> O'Mahoney, C, 1988, Medieval Pottery from Tintagel: a Summary, VOL 16, 69-78 (Article in Journal). SCO4040.

<19> Thorpe, C, 1988, Incised Pictorial Slates at Tintagel, VOL 16, 69-78 (Article in Journal). SCO4717.

<20> THOMAS, AC, 1989, LECTURE TO CAS, 20 JAN 1989 (Unedited Source). SCO8919.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds

• FCO2973 - SHERD (Romano British - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Associated Events: none recorded

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