Excavation of Later Prehistoric and Roman Sites along the Route of the Newquay Strategic Road Corridor, Cornwall

Andy M. Jones

• Publisher: Archaeopress Archaeology
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781789691528
• eBook ISBN: 9781789691535
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Archaeology
• Index: Social Sciences

During November and December 2014, Cornwall Archaeological Unit undertook a programme of archaeological excavation in advance of construction of a road corridor to the south of Newquay. Evidence for Middle Bronze Age occupation took the form of a hollow-set roundhouse; however, the majority of the excavated features have been dated to the Iron Age and Roman periods. The area was enclosed as fields associated with extensive settlement activity throughout the last centuries cal BC into the third century AD.
The excavations revealed the character of settlement-related activity during the later prehistoric and Roman periods. The evidence strongly suggests growing intensification of agriculture, with ditched fields and enclosures appearing in the landscape from the later Iron Age and into the Roman period.
The results shed light on later prehistoric and Roman practices involving the division of the landscape with ditched fields and enclosed buildings. Many of the structures and pits were found to be set within their own ring-ditched enclosures or hollows, and the field system ditches were in some instances marked by 'special' deposits. As has previously been demonstrated for Middle Bronze Age roundhouses, structures could be subject to formal abandonment processes. Gullies and hollows were deliberately infilled, so that they were no longer visible at surface. However, unlike the abandoned Bronze Age roundhouses, the later structures appear to have been flattened and not monumentalized. In other words, buildings could be both etched into and subsequently erased from the landscape and thereby forgotten.
This volume takes the opportunity presented by investigations on the Newquay Strategic Road to discuss the complexity of the archaeology, review the evidence for 'special' deposits and explore evidence for the deliberate closure of buildings especially in later prehistoric and Roman period Cornwall. Finally, the possible motives which underlie these practices are considered.
Includes contributions by Ryan S Smith, Dana Challinor, Julie Jones, Graeme Kirkham, Anna Lawson-Jones, Henrietta Quinnell and Roger Taylor.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright page
• Contents Page
• List of Figures
• SECTION 1 BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT
• Figure 1.1 Location map showing archaeological features located by geophysical survey and the National Mapping Programme in the area around the Newquay Strategic Road corridor. The urban core of Newquay town centre is to the north west; shading represents
• Figure 1.2 Results from the geophysical survey of the Newquay Strategic Road corridor and Field numbers.
• Figure 1.3 The truncated Structure 2, located at the southern end of the road corridor.
• Figure 1.4 Overview showing excavated archaeological features in relation to the results from the geophysical survey.
• Figure 1.5 Archaeological sites in the area surrounding the Newquay Strategic Road corridor, including, barrows, large enclosu es, cliff castles and rounds.
• SECTION 2 INVESTIGATIONS
• Figure 2.1 Overview of the results from the excavations shown by Field and phase (Bronze Age, Middle Iron Age Late Iron Age and Roman).
• Figure 2.2 Features of Bronze Age date. Middle Bronze Age Structure 1 and Beaker pit [163] (inset).
• Figure 2.3 Features of Middle Iron Age date. Structure 2 and Structure A1.
• Figure 2.4 Plan of Middle Iron Age Structure 2 and ditch [274].
• Figure 2.5 Plan of Middle Iron Age Structure A1.
• Figure 2.6 Features of Late Iron Age date, including Hollow 1, Hollow 2, ditch [120] and Area A2.
• Figure 2.7 Plan of Late Iron Age Hollow 1.
• Figure 2.8 Plan of pits within Late Iron Age Hollow 2.
• Figure 2.9 Plan of Late Iron Age Hollow 2.
• Figure 2.10 Plan of Late Iron Age features and the north end of Field 2, ditch [120] and Area A2.
• Figure 2.11 Features of Roman period date, including Structure A3, Structure 3, Structure A6 and ditch [230].
• Figure 2.12 Plan of Roman period Structure A3 and adjacent features.
• Figure 2.13 Plan of Roman period features in Enclosure Area, including ditches [125] and [129] and [20] and [204].
• Figure 2.14 Plan of Roman period features to the north and west of Hollow 1.
• Figure 2.15 Plan of Roman period Structure A6 and adjacent features.
• Figure 2.16 Plan of Roman period Structure 3.
• Figure 2.17 Plan showing the location of the Romano-British enclosure, associated features and geophysical features outside the stripped area.
• SECTION 3 THE ANALYSES
• Table 3.1 Details of Bronze Age pottery fabrics by sherd numbers and weight in grams. All material comes from Structure 1 except that from the old land surface (OLS) (218).
• Figure 3.1 Middle Bronze Age pottery P1–P4, Middle Iron Age pottery P5–P7. (Drawing Jane Read.)
• Table 3.2 Details of ceramic fabrics from Structure 2 by sherd numbers and weight in grams.
• Table 3.3 Details of ceramic fabrics from Structure A1 by sherd numbers and weight in grams.
• Table 3.4 Details of ceramic fabrics from Hollow 1 by sherd number and weight in grams.
• Figure 3.2 Pottery of Late Iron Age and Roman date P8–P13. (Drawing Jane Read.)
• Table 3.5 Details of ceramic fabrics from Hollow 2 by sherd numbers and weight in grams.
• Table 3.6 Details of ceramic fabrics from Area A2 by sherd numbers and weight in grams.
• Table 3.7 Details of ceramic fabrics from Structure A3 by sherd numbers and weight in grams.
• Table 3.8 Details of ceramic fabrics from Enclosure Area (north) by sherd numbers and weight in grams.
• Table 3.10 Details of ceramic fabrics from features north west of Hollow 1 by sherd numbers and weight in grams.
• Table 3.11 Details of ceramic fabrics from Structure A6 by sherd numbers and weight in grams.
• Table 3.9 Details of ceramic fabrics from Enclosure Area (south) ditches by sherd numbers and weight in grams.
• Table 3.12 Details of ceramic fabrics from Structure 3 by sherd numbers and weight in grams.
• Table 3.13 Totals of sherds by fabric, sherd numbers, weight and period.
• Table 3.14 Suggested chronology for the ceramics of different structures and areas, presented in broad sequence.
• Figure 4.1 Worked stone S1 saddle quern fragment, S2 rotary quern fragment, S4 spindle whorl fragment, S5 Cornish mortar, S6–S7 large Cornish mortars or small Trethurgy bowls. (Drawing Jane Read.)
• Figure 4.2 Worked stone S8 whetstone. (Drawing Jane Read.)
• Figure 4.3 Worked stone S12 Beach cobble with slight peck marks from anvil or hammerstone use. (Photograph: Gary Young.)
• Figure 4.4 Worked stone S13 Slate discs, S13 top right, S14 bottom right, S15 left. (Photograph Gary Young.)
• Figure 4.5 Worked stone S16 split tuffaceous slate beach cobble trimmed as chopper. (Photograph Gary Young.)
• Figure 5.1 Four worked flints. The first two are of a broadly Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age date, the second two came from Bronze Age Structure 1. L1 is a cutting flake or simple knife flake from pit fill (162); L2 is a cortical flake scraper from cu
• Table 5.1 Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age flint. NOTE: the bags of unstratified material have been individually distinguished by letters A to G. Bag D came from Field 1, bag C from Field 2 and bag F from Field 3. Bags A, B, E and G include material fr
• Table 5.2 Bronze Age flint from Structure 1.
• Table 5.3 Other probable Bronze Age material. NOTE: the bags of unstratified material have been individually distinguished by letters A to G. Bag D came from Field 1, bag C from Field 2 and bag F from Field 3. Bags A, B, E and G include material from all
• Table 6.1 Bulk samples from the Newquay Strategic Road corridor.
• Table 6.2 Charred plant remains from the Newquay Strategic Road corridor.
• Table 7.1 Charcoal from Early and Middle Bronze Age features.
• Table 7.2 Charcoal from Middle Iron Age features.
• Table 7.3 Charcoal from Late Iron Age features.
• Table 7.4 Charcoal from Area A2, Structure A3 and Enclosure Area (north).
• Table 7.5 Charcoal from Enclosure Area (south) features.
• Table 7.6 Charcoal from Roman period features.
• Figure 7.1: Taxonomic composition of charcoal by phase (based upon fragment count, excluding indeterminates; N=841).
• Figure 8.1 Radiocarbon date ranges from the Newquay Strategic Road corridor.
• Table 8.1 Radiocarbon determinations from Newquay Strategic Road corridor.
• SECTION 4 INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS
• Figure 9.1 Photograph of ring-gully [332] which is probably part of a structure of Roman period date which lies outside the road corridor. The size and form of the structure are unknown.
• Figure 9.2 Photograph showing the quartz filled gully encircling Richard Lander Iron Age house 9, looking east.
• Figure 10.1 Photograph of Pit [300] within Middle Bronze Age Structure 1. Note the lighter colour of the upper part of the pit which may represent a floor layer or infilling deposit.
• Figure 10.2 Photograph of Middle Bronze Age Structure 1 taken from the east. Note the lighter colour of the lower part of the section, which is likely to be a Bronze Age infilling deposit.
• Figure 10.3 Middle Iron Age structures in Cornwall and Devon: (1) Twinyeo structure 3, (2) Twinyeo structure 1, (3) Penryn College structure 2, (4) Twinyeo structure 2, (5) Nansledan and (6) Newquay Structure 2.
• Figure 10.4 Iron Age roundhouses in Cornwall: Camelford School structure 4, Trevelgue Head house 1, Belowda, Threemilestone houses 8 and 12, and Penmayne structure 2.
• Figure 10.5 Aerial photograph of the Manuels enclosure, showing an inner roughly circular cropmark approximately 50m diameter; the site as a whole may have an overall diameter of around 250m. Part of the south-eastern side is preserved in the hedge bank (
• Figure 10.6 The plotting of the cropmark enclosure at Manuels by the National Mapping Programme revealed that there are up to ive concentric ditch circuits and that the space between the two inner enclosures and the next concentric ditch appears to have
• Figure 10.7 Photograph of half excavated pit [309], which may have been associated with the preparation of food.
• Figure 10.8 Plan showing the open ‘working hollows’ at Little Quoit Farm. These hollows were associated with small-scale smithing. (After Lawson-Jones and Kirkham 2009–10.)
• Figure 10.9 Photograph of Roman period Structure 3 during excavation. Note standing section and material filling the hollow which includes quartz blocks.
• Figure 10.10 Selection of Roman period oval-shaped structures found across Cornwall: (1) Newquay Structure 3, (2) Tremough s ructure 338, (3) Trebarveth structure 3, (4) Grambla structure 1, (5) Chysauster structure 5, (6) Castle Gotha and (7) Porth Godre
• Figure 10.11 Selection of Roman period oval-shaped structures found across Cornwall: (1) Trethurgy A1, (2) Trethurgy T4, () Trethurgy T2 and (4) Trethurgy Z2.
• Figure 10.12 Plan showing Tremough structure 338. This oval shaped structure associated with small-scale metalworking and occupation. (After Gossip and Jones 2007.)
• Figure 10.13 Photograph of stone-capped ‘grave’ [108] prior to excavation. Note the in situ stone capping covering the feature.
• Figure 10.14 Photograph of ‘grave’ feature [109] after excavation.
• Figure 10.15 Map showing the distribution of Iron Age cist graves and pit graves in the south west peninsula.
• Figure 10.16 Photograph of Forrabury stone-capped feature 13, which is of Iron Age date and similar to feature [108].
• Figure 10.17 Photograph of Forrabury cist 4, with in situ water rolled quartz pebble.
• Figure 11.1 Distribution of key Iron Age and Roman wetland sites associated with metalwork and coin deposition in Cornwall referred to in Chapter 11.
• Figure 11.2 Photograph showing the Roman patera and jug recovered from the shaft / well at Bosence. (AN1836 p.126.146 and AN1836 p.127.179. Image © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford.)
• Figure 11.3 Photograph of Camelford enclosure 1, showing the pit cut into the southern ditch terminal.
• Figure 11.4 Post excavation photograph of pit [367].
• Figure 11.5 Photograph of worked stone objects found within Higher Besore pit [5027].
• Figure 11.6 Photograph of the cache of worked stone artefacts found within Tremowah pit [345].
• Figure 11.7 Photograph of the pottery deposit placed the bottom of pit [337] at Tremough.
• Figure 11.8 Photograph showing charred grain deposit in section within pit [2-05], Middle Amble. (Photograph Mark Borlase.)
• Figure 11.9 Photograph of the quartz filled gully encircling Richard Lander Iron Age house 9, looking north west.
• Figure 11.10 Distribution of ‘special deposits’ within Structure 3 and in adjacent ditches.
• Figure 11.11 Photograph showing the deposit of iron ore in section within [210] / [212].
• Figure 11.12 Distribution of artefacts within the Roman period enclosure at Tremough.
• Figure 11.13 Photograph of the pottery deposit placed within the Roman period enclosure at Tremough.
• Figure 11.14 Photograph of the Roman period burial (note body stain in the bottom of grave) located at the upper margin of the field system at Scarcewater.
• Figure 11.15 Photograph of the decorated stone spindle whorl found within pit [491].
• Figure 11.16 Photograph of Camelford enclosure 2, showing infill deposits within the northern ditch terminal.
• Figure 11.17 Photograph of the quern fragment found in Camelford enclosure 2 ditch.
• Figure 11.18 Distribution of key Iron Age and Roman sites with possible evidence for ritualized abandonment / special deposits in Cornwall referred to in Chapter 11 (star = Newquay Strategic Road corridor).
• Figure 11.19 Photograph of in situ rotary quern found within a posthole inside structure 2 at Penryn College.
• Figure 11.20 Photograph of a copper-alloy toiletry set found within a gully associated within structure 2 at Penryn College.
• Figure 11.22 Photograph of the stone mensuration weight within a posthole close the entrance into structure 338 at Tremough.
• Figure 11.23 Key sites beyond Cornwall referred to in Chapter 11.
• Figure 11.24 From roundhouse (top) to round mound (bottom). Abandoning the Middle Bronze Age roundhouse at Callestick. (Drawing Nigel Thomas.)
• Figure 12.1 Photograph of the iron carding comb from Atlantic Road, Newquay. In a region lacking in good organic preservation his artefact acts as a proxy for the importance of wool in the local economy.
• Figure 12.2 Photograph showing Roman period plough marks (foreground) at Atlantic Road, Newquay. Despite being in a marginal location ploughing had taken place, before being covered by windblown sand.
• Figure 12.3 Reconstruction of the Manuels enclosure. (Painting Freya Lawson-Jones.)
• Figure 12.4 Photograph of late fourth century AD Roman coins buried in a pit outside the entrance to Trevelgue Head, house 1. (Photograph Anna Tyacke.)
• Figure 12.5 Photograph of the Roman period bell found within the midden deposit covering Penhale Round structure 2045/5054.
• Figure 12.6 Photograph of the Roman period tin dish which had been placed within a pit at Killigrew Round.