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Chun Castle

Cornwall, England · Atlas EN0617

Chun Castle is a partial contour fort in Madron, Cornwall, England.

It is recorded as extant, with a bivallate rampart form, surface evidence of stone wall and rubble, and an enclosed area of 0.14 hectares.

Banks or ramparts are the remains most likely to be visible.

The topographic record places it on a hilltop and at 216 m.

The aspect is recorded as level.

Recorded land use includes heather moorland.

Dating evidence is recorded for 400 BC–AD 50 and AD 50–400 (Artefactual). Reliability is recorded as B - Medium.

A scheduled monument number is recorded (1007264).

Location

Atlas number
EN0617 (617)
Country
England
Current county or unitary authority
Cornwall
Historic county
Cornwall
Parish, community, or townland
Madron
National Grid reference
SW4050733943
Latitude
50.14856
Longitude
-5.63379
Altitude
216 m

Form and condition

Type
partial contour fort
Condition
Extant
Morphology
bivallate
Complete rampart circuit
Yes
Number of ramparts
2
Number of ditches
2
Possible original entrances
1
Breaks through the ramparts
1
Enclosed area
0.14 ha
Enclosing works, as visible
stone wall and rubble
Enclosing works, excavated
stone wall
Also recorded
guard chambers and ditches
Entrance forms
Passage-way/Corridor (South west); Simple Gap (South west); Recesses/Guard Chambers (South west)

Landscape

Topographic position
hilltop
Aspect
level
Land use
heather moorland
Water source
well or cistern

Dating

Dating
400 BC–AD 50 and AD 50–400
Dating evidence
Artefactual
Dating reliability
B - Medium

Interior and investigation

Finds
pottery, metal, metalworking, and lithics
Investigations
1st Identified Map Depiction (1769); Excavation (1826); Excavation (1862); Other (1878); Excavation (1895); Excavation (1925); Other (1978); Other (1999); Other (2006); Excavation (1927-1929); Other (1901-2000)

Identifiers

Scheduled monument number
1007264
HER
Cornwall and Scilly MCO54 (second identifier 30514)
National record
record SW 43 SW 30; monument 424235
Wikidata
Q31114364

Sources

References

  1. Barnwell, E.L. 1885. Chun Castle, Archaeol Camb,11, 3, 187-95.
  2. Borlase, W. 1769. The antiquities of Cornwall, London: W. Bowyer and J. Nichols, 347.
  3. Cornish, J.B. 1906. In ed. Page, W., The Victoria History of the County of Cornwall, 1, London: James Street, 461.
  4. Giddy, Captain and Cotton, W. 1829. No details, Archaeologia, 22, 301-303.
  5. Gossip, J. 1999. Chun Downs, Cornwall: archaeological and historical assessment, Unpublished assessment and evaluation report, Cornwall Archaeological Unit, Cornwall County Council.
  6. Leeds, E.T. 1927. Excavations at Chun Castle, in Penwith, Cornwall, Archaeologia, 76, 205-40.
  7. Leeds, E.T. 1931. Excavations at Chun Castle, in Penwith, Cornwall (Second Report), Archaeologia, 81, 33-42.
  8. Thomas, C.1956. Evidence for post-Roman occiupation of Chun Castle, Cornwall, Ant J, 36, 25-28.