Later Prehistoric Settlement in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly: Evidence from Five Excavations

Later prehistoric settlement in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly reports on the excavation between 1996 and 2014 of five later prehistoric and Roman period settlements. All the sites were multi-phased, revealing similar and contrasting occupational patterns stretching from the Bronze Age into the Iron Age and beyond.

Later Prehistoric Settlement in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly reports on the excavation between 1996 and 2014 of five later prehistoric and Roman period settlements. Three of the mainland sites – Killigrew, Nancemere and Higher Besore – are located in central Cornwall, near Truro, with the fourth, at Porthleven, situated on the south coast in west Cornwall. The fifth settlement, Porth Killier, is on the island of St Agnes on the Isles of Scilly. All the sites were multi-phased, revealing both similar and contrasting patterns of occupation stretching from the Bronze Age into the Iron Age and beyond. Despite having broadly comparable chronological sequences, there are considerable differences in both the tempo and intensity of occupation, and significant contrasts in practices associated with them. Significantly, all four mainland sequences culminate with an enclosed settlement in the Late Iron Age and especially during the Roman period, a time of significant economic and social change following the conquest. During this period there continued to be differences in the character of occupation. Notably two of the enclosures seem to have been strongly associated with industrial activities, including metalworking at Killigrew, suggesting that the working of iron may have been a controlled or ritualized activity undertaken within a dedicated space. The volume presents the results from each of the five settlement sites, before reviewing the key themes which have emerged from the investigations.

Section 1: Background to the Project - Andy M Jones Chapter 1: Introduction to the Volume Section 2: Archaeological Recording during the 1996 Coast Protection Scheme at Porth Killier, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly - Charles Johns, Jeanette Ratcliffe and Andrew Young, with contributions from David Dungworth, Janice Light, Alison Locker, Henrietta Quinnell, Vanessa Straker and Roger Taylor Chapter 2.1: Background to the Excavations Chapter 2.2: The Excavation Results Chapter 2.3: The Artefacts Chapter 2.4: Mammal, Bird and Fish Bones Chapter 2.5: Shell Chapter 2.6: Plant Macrofossils Chapter 2.7: Radiocarbon Dating Chapter 2.8: Discussion Section 3: Excavations at Killigrew 1996: an Iron Age and Romano-British Industrial Site on the Trispen Bypass, Cornwall - Dick Cole and Jacqueline Nowakowski FSA with contributions from Rowena Gale, Sophie Lamb, Albertine Malham, Gerry McDonnell, Henrietta Quinnell, Laura Ratcliffe-Warren, Adam Sharpe, Vanessa Straker and Roger Taylor Chapter 3.1: Background to the Excavations Chapter 3.2: The Excavation Results Chapter 3.3: Radiocarbon Dating and Charcoal Identification Chapter 3.4: The Artefacts Chapter 3.5: Charred Plant Macrofossils Chapter 3.6: Discussion Section 4: Archaeological Investigations at Nancemere, Truro, Cornwall 2002: a Prehistoric and Romano-British Landscape - James Gossip with contributions from Rowena Gale, Andy M Jones, Julie Jones, Anna Lawson-Jones, Henrietta Quinnell, Clare Randall and Roger Taylor Chapter 4.1: Location and Background Chapter 4.2: The Excavation Results Chapter 4.3: The Artefacts Chapter 4.4: The Charcoal Chapter 4.5: Animal Bone Chapter 4.6: Radiocarbon Dating Chapter 4.7: Discussion Section 5: Life Outside the Round: Bronze Age and Iron Age Settlement at Higher Besore and Truro College, Threemilestone, Truro, 2004-5 - James Gossip with contributions from Justine Bayley, Paul Bidwell, Sarnia Butcher, Wendy Carruthers, Rowena Gale, J D Hill, Andy M Jones, Julie Jones, Anna Lawson-Jones, Roger Mcbride, Stuart Needham, Peter Northover, Cynthia Poole, Henrietta Quinnell, Roger Taylor, Anna Tyacke and Tim Young Chapter 5.1: Background to the Excavations Chapter 5.2: The Excavation Results Chapter 5.3: The Artefacts Chapter 5.4: The Plant Macrofossils Chapter 5.5: The Charcoal Chapter 5.6: Radiocarbon Dating Chapter 5.7: Discussion Section 6: Excavation of an Iron Age Settlement and a Roman Period Enclosure at Porthleven, 2014 - Andy M Jones, with contributions from Paul Bidwell, Dana Challinor, Anna Lawson-Jones, Henrietta Quinnell, Clare Randall, Ryan P Smith and Roger Taylor Chapter 6.1: Background to the Excavations Chapter 6.2: Results from the Excavations Chapter 6.3: The Artefacts Chapter 6.4: The Charcoal Chapter 6.5: The Animal Bone Chapter 6.6: The Radiocarbon Dating Chapter 6.7: Discussion Section 7: Review and Overview - Andy M Jones Chapter 7.1: From Beaker Pits to Living in the Round: Some Themes Bibliography, Section 1: Background to the Project – Andy M Jones Chapter 1: Introduction to the Volume ;
Section 2: Archaeological Recording during the 1996 Coast Protection Scheme at Porth Killier, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly – Charles Johns, Jeanette Ratcliffe and Andrew Young, with contributions from David Dungworth, Janice Light, Alison Locker, Henrietta Quinnell, Vanessa Straker and Roger Taylor Chapter 2.1: Background to the Excavations ;
Chapter 2.2: The Excavation Results ;
Chapter 2.3: The Artefacts ;
Chapter 2.4: Mammal, Bird and Fish Bones ;
Chapter 2.5: Shell ;
Chapter 2.6: Plant Macrofossils ;
Chapter 2.7: Radiocarbon Dating ;
Chapter 2.8: Discussion ;
Section 3: Excavations at Killigrew 1996: an Iron Age and Romano-British Industrial Site on the Trispen Bypass, Cornwall – Dick Cole and Jacqueline Nowakowski FSA with contributions from Rowena Gale, Sophie Lamb, Albertine Malham, Gerry McDonnell, Henrietta Quinnell, Laura Ratcliffe–Warren, Adam Sharpe, Vanessa Straker and Roger Taylor Chapter 3.1: Background to the Excavations ;
Chapter 3.2: The Excavation Results ;
Chapter 3.3: Radiocarbon Dating and Charcoal Identification ;
Chapter 3.4: The Artefacts ;
Chapter 3.5: Charred Plant Macrofossils ;
Chapter 3.6: Discussion ;
Section 4: Archaeological Investigations at Nancemere, Truro, Cornwall 2002: a Prehistoric and Romano-British Landscape – James Gossip with contributions from Rowena Gale, Andy M Jones, Julie Jones, Anna Lawson-Jones, Henrietta Quinnell, Clare Randall and Roger Taylor Chapter 4.1: Location and Background ;
Chapter 4.2: The Excavation Results ;
Chapter 4.3: The Artefacts ;
Chapter 4.4: The Charcoal ;
Chapter 4.5: Animal Bone ;
Chapter 4.6: Radiocarbon Dating ;
Chapter 4.7: Discussion ;
Section 5: Life Outside the Round: Bronze Age and Iron Age Settlement at Higher Besore and Truro College, Threemilestone, Truro, 2004–5 – James Gossip with contributions from Justine Bayley, Paul Bidwell, Sarnia Butcher, Wendy Carruthers, Rowena Gale, J D Hill, Andy M Jones, Julie Jones, Anna Lawson-Jones, Roger Mcbride, Stuart Needham, Peter Northover, Cynthia Poole, Henrietta Quinnell, Roger Taylor, Anna Tyacke and Tim Young Chapter 5.1: Background to the Excavations ;
Chapter 5.2: The Excavation Results ;
Chapter 5.3: The Artefacts ;
Chapter 5.4: The Plant Macrofossils ;
Chapter 5.5: The Charcoal ;
Chapter 5.6: Radiocarbon Dating ;
Chapter 5.7: Discussion ;
Section 6: Excavation of an Iron Age Settlement and a Roman Period Enclosure at Porthleven, 2014 – Andy M Jones, with contributions from Paul Bidwell, Dana Challinor, Anna Lawson-Jones, Henrietta Quinnell, Clare Randall, Ryan P Smith and Roger Taylor Chapter 6.1: Background to the Excavations ;
Chapter 6.2: Results from the Excavations ;
Chapter 6.3: The Artefacts ;
Chapter 6.4: The Charcoal ;
Chapter 6.5: The Animal Bone ;
Chapter 6.6: The Radiocarbon Dating ;
Chapter 6.7: Discussion ;
Section 7: Review and Overview – Andy M Jones Chapter 7.1: From Beaker Pits to Living in the Round: Some Themes ;
Bibliography