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WELCOME TO CORNWALL
Vacancies updated June 30th. Every winter Steve and I organise a couple of walks for our local history society.
This winter I was researching East Pentire for a walk - Bronze Age ritual landscape stuff, barrows etc. Looking at an old map (1880's) I realised a barrow that was on the parish check list for 1980
had been built on. After trawling the web - the 'National Archives'came up with a reference to getting permission to carry out an archaeological dig on the site before the builders got going on a bungalow. The document was atually held in our local hsitory society's archive!
Could I find the results of the dig? The archaeologist was Dorothy Dudley who kept meticulous records - there was no mention in her archives held at the RIC in Truro. The county archaeologists and English Heritage
drew a blank. Steve and I did the walk - the puzzle about the barrow unsolved - we did look at the house built on it. then I had a brain wave - maybe it was in my society's minutes as they were involved in
getting permission for the dig. A couple of weeks ago our secretary went to our archive storage room
and ferreted out the minutes for the dig which was
held in February 1964. She presented me with the book to peruse - copper plate handwriting, lovely binding and all. In the minute of 8th April 1964 was the answer to my quest.
The barrow was in fact a rocky outcrop and no one had told English Heritage to alter their records. BUT I WAS NOT DIASPPOINTED - In the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age when barrows were
being built rocky outcrops and tors were revered or feared so maybe this lot of old rock was the focus of ritual in the past on East Pentire.
Stefan Kempeneers who with Luc, Nico and Udo - members of Belgium mineral club - Geologische Vereniging Limburg came
to stay with us in May 2008. Stefan has written up their trip with pictures and here is the link
Cornwall 2008 - Chichester Interest Holidays
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