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Summary

A courtyard house situated in a central position in the settlement to the west of Bosigran.

Protected Status: None recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Cornwall SURVEY NAME (temporary): NT 94459
• National Mapping Programme (Morph No.): 290.23
• OS No. (OS Quarter-sheet and OS No.): SW43NW 8.3
• Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 30696.10
• SMR No. (OS Quarter-sheet and SMR No.): SW43NW 61.1

Monument Type(s):

• COURTYARD HOUSE (Iron Age - 800 BC to 42 AD)
• COURTYARD HOUSE (Romano British - 43 AD to 409 AD)

Full description

The OS survey at 1:2500 in 1961 records a courtyard house situated in a central position in the settlement at Bosigran (30696). The south-west and south-east sides are incorporated into modern field walls. There are at least two circular chambers and two small ones. Within the most southerly large chamber and near its south-west edge are three upright stones averaging 1.7m high. At the foot of the centre stone is a fourth similar but recumbent stone. The courtyard lies to the south, round room to the north and what is probably the long room to the west. To the east of the field wall bounding that side of the house is a fragmentary bank, possibly part of an associated structure. To the south-east of this and on the north side of the field wall is a semi-circular platform of earth and stones 0.6m high. It may be field clearance but its regular shape and proximity to the house suggests it may be associated (h1). Pool and Weatherhill in 1979 describe a definite courtyard house, the interior of which is overgrown with thorn bushes. The entrance was in the south-east side where there are two massive jambstones each 2.0m high. The walls of the house have degenerated into stony banks no more than 0.8m high. An entrance has been forced through the north-east wall of the round room. The assorted structure on the eastern side is a hut circle (30696.11) (b6). Weatherhill in 1982 gives the measurements of the courtyard house as 24.0m by 18.0m (h3, b7). Weatherhill in 1982 gives the measurements of the courtyard house as 24m by 18m (h3, b7). Planned at 1:200 by CCRA/NT in 1982. Courtyard, 8.4m diameter entered from the south-west through a 0.9m wide entrance with jambs to 1.9m high. The subrectangular long room is 5.8m by 2.2m. The eliptical round room to the north is damaged on the eastern side and is 10.5m by 7.0m internally. A small room approx 3.0m diameter is to the east of the entrance to the round room. The walls have generally collapsed into 0.9m high stony banks but some traces of stone faces do survive (h4, h5, b8-b11). The site is visible on air photographs (p1, p2) and was plotted for the NMP.

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Site history:
1: 1961. PITCHER, GH / OS
2: 1975. QUINNELL, NV / OS
3: 1975. WEATHERHILL, C / CCRA
4: 1982. NDJ ET AL / CCRA, NT
5: 1986. HERRING, PC / CAU
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<1> Hirst, FC, 19--, Archaeological Notes on West Penwith (Unpublished document). SCO3593.

NMR, 1979, SW4237/7/472 (Photographic Record). SCO16584.

<2> UNKNOWN, 1937, UNKNOWN TITLE, APPENDIX (Article in Journal). SCO7286.

CAU, 1988, F15/117-121 (Photographic Record). SCO17159.

<3> Hirst, FC, 1937, Courtyard House Sites in West Cornwall, 84N, 97 (Bibliographic reference). SCO3594.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1970s, 1:10,000 OS Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4045.

<5> Russell, V, 1971, West Penwith Survey, 54 (Bibliographic reference). SCO4314.

<6> Pool, PAS & Weatherhill, C, 1979, A Report to the National Trust: Iron Age Sites at Bosigran (Bibliographic reference). SCO5141.

<7> Weatherhill, C, 1982, Courtyard Houses of West Penwith. A Survey, 22-24 (Bibliographic reference). SCO5029.

<8> Cornwall Archaeological Unit, Field Drawing (GRE), GRE 212, 26, 30 (Cartographic materials). SCO5089.

<9> Cornwall Archaeological Unit, 198-, Drawing Archive, Hanging (GRH), GRH 683, SW 4236 NW, 4236SW; 68249-11 (Cartographic materials). SCO5088.

<10> CAU, 1984, Field Survey Context Card, 253 (Bibliographic reference). SCO5175.

<11> Herring, PC, 1987, Bosigran, Zennor, 102-108 (Bibliographic reference). SCO3569.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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