Page:VCH Cornwall 1.djvu/561

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ANCIENT EARTHWORKS too are traces of Saxon in the names of Newlyn, Crantock and Tre- sausen. 1 Both these districts are comparatively low ground, in fact St. Enoder is said to be the most level part of Cornwall, and both have been long under cultivation. Mr. Peter includes as ' village entrenchments ' Tregeare in Eglo- skerry, Warbstow burrows, Helsbury Beacon in Michaelstow, and Kelly Rounds in Egloshayle, all of which have, in the Appendix to this chapter, been placed among the hill castles as being more of that character. There are in Cornwall three mediaeval castles which stand on the summits of small partly artificial hills, viz. Launceston, Trematon and Restormel. There may very possibly have been more primitive defences on these hills originally, but there is now no trace, and the existence of the more modern buildings do not allow them to be included in this chapter. The two remaining classes into which the earthworks of Cornwall are divided in the Appendix are Class IV., the long banks or dykes which do not enclose a space, and Class V., the Plain-an-Gwariow. The name, which is still in use in St. Just in Penwith, is applied to circular enclosures or amphitheatres in which sports were held and the miracle plays are said to have been acted. Gwennap Pit is included, but it is possibly caused naturally by the running together of old mine workings. Carew in his Survey of Cornwall in 1602 (p. 71) speaks of earthworks of this class as though they were thrown up temporarily when and where required, and Dr. Borlase 8 says, ' We have great numbers of them.' He however mentions only two, St. Just (Antiq. 208) and Perran (Nat. Hist. 298), both of which are still in fair preservation. The two at Newlyn East and Indian Queens (each of which is known locally as ' the Pit ') were made about 60 years ago for religious meetings. They are still used for this purpose and are carefully kept in good order. Although not ancient they are included because they preserve the pattern of the older works from which they were undoubtedly copied. Those at Ruan Major, Ruan Minor and Landewednack have disappeared, while at Redruth little or nothing remains but the name at the north end of the town. EXPLANATION OF AUTHORITIES REFERRED TO Arch. Camb. = Archteologia Cambriensis (1863) Blight List = List of the Antiquities of Penwith and Kirrier, by J. T. Blight (1862) Bond = Typographical and Historical Sketches of the Boroughs of East and West Looe, by Thomas Bond (1823) Borlase = The Antiquities of Cornwall, by W. Borlase, LL.D., F.R.S. (1769) Borlase Nat. Hist. = The Natural History of Cornwall, by W. Borlase, LL.D., F.R.S. (1758) Buller = Statistical Account of the Parish of St. Just in Penwith, by Rev. John Buller, LL.B. (1842) C.A.A. = The Report of the Cambrian Archaeological Association (Visit to Cornwall) (1862) Carew The Survey of Cornwall, by R. Carew (1602) 1 Tre = ' a dwelling,' Sausen = ' Saxon.' * Antiquities, 207. i 457 58