Heritage Gateway

Cornwall & Scilly HER

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.

HER Number:	22101
Name:	MAWGAN PORTH - Early Medieval settlement

Summary

A small early medieval village with associated burial ground, consisting of a complex of three, or possibly four units.

Grid Reference:	SW 8511 6726
Parish:	Mawgan in Pydar, Restormel, Cornwall
Map:	Show location on Streetmap

Protected Status

Scheduled Monument CO530: Mawgan Porth Dark Age settlement

Other References/Statuses

National Mapping Programme (Morph No.): 124/6/1-6
OS No. (OS Quarter-sheet and OS No.): SW86NE 1
Primary Record No. (1985-2009): 22101
SMR No. (OS Quarter-sheet and SMR No.): SW86NE 14

Monument Type(s):

SETTLEMENT (Early Medieval - 410 AD to 1065 AD)
DESERTED SETTLEMENT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)

Full description

A small early medieval village with associated burial ground was first discovered in 1934, when digging trial holes prior to building. Stone walls, which were not excavated at the time, and and a burial in a cist, which was, were encountered (h1, b1). Trial excavation was carried out in 1948, when building plans were revived (h2) and this led to larger scale investigation, between 1950 and 1954 (h3). The site was Scheduled in 1958 (h4) and in 1969, the OS surveyed the visible remains (h5, b11). The settlement was found to consist of a complex of three, or possibly four units (222110.1-22101.4). One unit (22101.1) was fully excavated, and was found to consist of a number of buildings, one a longhouse, arranged around a rectangular courtyard (22101.11-22101.17). All the other units appear to have been similar. To the NE of 22101.1 lay an extensive midden (22101.5), and to the NW slighty uphill, the presumably contemporary cemetery of cist graves (22101.7). One or two of the burials in the cemetery may have been of later date (22101.71). Bruce-Mitford's account of the settlement is not a full report (b2) and as the finds are not associated with individual structures in this, they are here recorded separately (22101.6). Pottery, stone and bone artefacts predominated, and a single coin was found. Together, they suggest a date range of AD 900 - 1050. Evidence for earlier structures was found (22101.01) but a single worn sherd of Mediterranean pottery of c500 is believed to have been a curiosity picked up on the beach (22101.02). Sand dune encroachment may have caused abandonment in the C11. Building work to the south of the site failed to reveal any further traces of the settlement (22101.8).

--------------------------------
Site history:
4: 1958. UNKNOWN / DOE
5: 1969. MJF / OS
--------------------------------

Hirst, FC, 1936, Supposed Iron Age Burial at Mawgan Porth (JRIC No 83, Vol XXIV, 1936) (Article in Serial). SCO1134.

Bruce Mitford, RLS, 1956, Dark Age Settlement at Mawgan Porth; A Dark Age Settlement at Mawgan Porth (Information File SW86NE) (Bibliographic reference). SCO325.

Marsh, B, 2010, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall - Geophysical Survey Report (Cornwall Event Report). SCO25210.

Preston Jones, A, 2014, Odd Spot, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall: Archaeological Assessment (Cornwall Event Report). SCO26018.

<1> Hirst, FC, 1934, Supposed Iron Age Burial at Mawgan Porth, VOL 24, 319-326 (Article in Journal). SCO5124.

NMR, 1977, SW8467/1/208&9 (Photographic Record). SCO16287.

<3> THOMAS, AC, 1958, Cornwall in the Dark Ages, VOL 2, 2, 70 (Article in Journal). SCO7702.

<4> Waterman, DM, 1959, Excavations at Lismahon, Co Down, 168 (Article in Journal). SCO7744.

<5> Chesher, VM & FJ, 1968, The Cornishman's House, 23-24 (Bibliographic reference). SCO3057.

<6> Thomas, AC, 1968, Grass Marked Pottery in Cornwall, 313, 325-327 (Bibliographic reference). SCO5160.

<7> Beresford, M & Hurst, JS, 1971, Deserted Medieval Villages, 152 (Bibliographic reference). SCO2828.

<8> Ordnance Survey, 1970s, 1:10,000 OS Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4045.

<9> Sheppard, PA, 1978, St Mawgan Checklist, VOL 17, 120 (Article in Journal). SCO4416.

<10> Ashbee, P, 1984, The Mawgan Porth Slab Grave Excavations 1950-52 (Unpub MS) (Bibliographic reference). SCO2749.

<11> Ordnance Survey, 1970s, 1:10,000 OS Map (Cartographic materials). SCO4045.

<12> UNKNOWN, 1934, UNKNOWN TITLE, 28/8/1934, 10 (Unedited Source). SCO7242.

<13> Thomas, AC, 1981, A Provisional List of Imported Pottery from Post Roman Western Britain & Ireland (Bibliographic reference). SCO4597.

Sources / Further Reading

---	SCO1134 - Article in Serial: Hirst, FC. 1936. Supposed Iron Age Burial at Mawgan Porth (JRIC No 83, Vol XXIV, 1936).
---	SCO25210 - Cornwall Event Report: Marsh, B. 2010. Mawgan Porth, Cornwall - Geophysical Survey Report.
---	SCO26018 - Cornwall Event Report: Preston Jones, A. 2014. Odd Spot, Mawgan Porth, Cornwall: Archaeological Assessment.
---	SCO325 - Bibliographic reference: Bruce Mitford, RLS. 1956. Dark Age Settlement at Mawgan Porth; A Dark Age Settlement at Mawgan Porth (Information File SW86NE).
[p1]	SCO16287 - Photographic Record: NMR. 1977. SW8467/1/208&9.
[1]	SCO5124 - Article in Journal: Hirst, FC. 1934. Supposed Iron Age Burial at Mawgan Porth. JRIC. 24. VOL 24, 319-326.
[3]	SCO7702 - Article in Journal: THOMAS, AC. 1958. Cornwall in the Dark Ages. Proceedings of the West Cornwall Field Club (New Series). 2 (2). 59-72. VOL 2, 2, 70.
[4]	SCO7744 - Article in Journal: Waterman, DM. 1959. Excavations at Lismahon, Co Down. Medieval Archaeology. 3. 139-176. 168.
[5]	SCO3057 - Bibliographic reference: Chesher, VM & FJ. 1968. The Cornishman's House. 23-24.
[6]	SCO5160 - Bibliographic reference: Thomas, AC. 1968. Grass Marked Pottery in Cornwall. Studies in Ancient Europe. Coles, JM & Simpson, DDA. 313, 325-327.
[7]	SCO2828 - Bibliographic reference: Beresford, M & Hurst, JS. 1971. Deserted Medieval Villages. 152.
[8]	SCO4045 - Cartographic materials: Ordnance Survey. 1970s. 1:10,000 OS Map.
[9]	SCO4416 - Article in Journal: Sheppard, PA. 1978. St Mawgan Checklist. Cornish Archaeology. 17. VOL 17, 120.
[10]	SCO2749 - Bibliographic reference: Ashbee, P. 1984. The Mawgan Porth Slab Grave Excavations 1950-52 (Unpub MS).
[11]	SCO4045 - Cartographic materials: Ordnance Survey. 1970s. 1:10,000 OS Map.
[12]	SCO7242 - Unedited Source: UNKNOWN. 1934. UNKNOWN TITLE. WESTERN MORNING NEWS. 28/8/1934, 10.
[13]	SCO4597 - Bibliographic reference: Thomas, AC. 1981. A Provisional List of Imported Pottery from Post Roman Western Britain & Ireland.

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

ECO1309 - Mawgan Porth
ECO1374 - Mawgan Porth
ECO3638 - Mawgan Porth, Cornwall (Ref: Job Ref 2732)
ECO4122 - Mawgan Porth, Odd Spot assessment (Ref: 146431)

Related records

22101.10	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Early Medieval building (Monument)
22101.15	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Early Medieval building (Monument)
22101.20	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Early Medieval building (Monument)
22101.30	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Early Medieval building (Monument)
22101.40	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Early Medieval building (Monument)
22101.70	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Early Medieval cemetery (Monument)
22101.02	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Early Medieval findspot (Find Spot)
22101.60	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Early Medieval findspot (Find Spot)
22101.71	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Early Medieval inhumation, Medieval inhumation (Monument)
22101.12	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Early Medieval kennels, Medieval kennels (Monument)
22101.11	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Early Medieval longhouse (Monument)
22101.21	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Early Medieval longhouse (Monument)
22101.50	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Early Medieval midden (Monument)
22101.01	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Early Medieval occupation site (Monument)
22101.17	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Undated enclosure (Monument)
22101.16	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Undated garden (Monument)
22101.13	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Undated house (Monument)
22101.14	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Undated house (Monument)
22101.22	Parent of: MAWGAN PORTH - Undated house (Monument)

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