More information : SW 75805910 Cliff Castle at Penhale Point (see plan)
(sites it at SW 75905900) Bivallate plus a counterscarp bank
damaged by mining. (1-3)
The remains of the cliff castle consist of a bivallate defensive
earthwork severely damaged by mining and the army extending from
SW 75915897 to SW 75955907 across a promontory. Much of the
earthwork especially in the south is overlaid with debris and the
several gaps all appear to be modern though it is impossible
to be certain on this point.
Surveyed at 1:2500. (4)
Excavations within part of the interior of the cliff castle took place in 1983. The defences consist of two ramparts with an offset rampart. The inner rampart is the larger of the two and has a substantial wall faced bank. The outer ditch is 3.5 m wide, 2.20 m deep, and has at least one recut. A circular house, with a diameter of 6 m was excavated. It comprised of a stone faced wall bank with an internal ring of five post holes, (diameter 3 m). Pottery sherds from a single vessel were recovered from within and outside the house. The sherds are from a Southern Western Decorated Vessel, of a later Iron Age date, and a very well preserved probably representing the last phase of occupation. No other evidence of contemporary occupation was recorded, probably destroyed by later mining activity. The pottery and radio carbon dates obtained from the round house give a date range from 101 BC-AD 88 for occupation. Also identified and excavated was a cairn, located outside of the cliff castle. This had a diameter of 12.1 m with a central cremation pit containing burnt bone. A survey of the immediate vicinity of the cliff castle also identified a probable ring cairn 14-17.50 m in diameter, surviving to a maximum height of 0.50 m. A field bank and ridge and furrow were also identified. These features are post medieval in appearance and are part of the medieval farm of Penhale. During the excavations two concentrations of flint scatters were identified. The assemblage from Area 1 was dominated by Mesolithic blade microliths, Area 2 contained some Neolithic examples. (5,6)
The site is included on a distribution map and text of Iron Age and Romano British sites in Cornwall. (7)
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