Kelly Rounds facts for kids

Kelly Rounds.

Kelly Rounds, also known as Castle Killibury, is an ancient Iron Age hill fort in Cornwall, England. It is located near the A39 main road, about two miles east of Wadebridge.

This historic site is found north of the village of St Mabyn. It is about 300 metres east of Three Holes Cross, close to the edge of the Egloshayle parish.

Scientists have used a method called radiocarbon dating to find out when people lived at Kelly Rounds. They found that the hill fort was used between 400 and 100 BC. Even older findings show that people lived here before the fort was built, between 1250 and 950 BC.

What is Kelly Rounds?

Kelly Rounds is a large Iron Age hill fort. It was described by Craig Weatherhill as a "bivallate" fort. This means it has two sets of strong walls or banks, called ramparts, and ditches around them. The fort is about 230 metres wide.

Parts of the Fort

The ramparts are about 3 metres tall on the outside. They have ditches in front of them that are about 1.8 metres deep. Sometimes, these ditches can fill with water. The northern part of the fort is still in good condition. However, the southern part has been flattened over time by farming.

Archaeologists have also found parts of other structures called annexes. These were like extra areas attached to the main fort. One rectangular annexe was on the west side, but much of it was destroyed when Sandylands Farm was built. On the other side of the fort, signs of two more annexes have been found.

Discoveries from Digs

During excavations, archaeologists dug into the inner ditch. They found it was cut 2.8 metres deep into the natural rock. These digs also showed that the earliest people lived on this site around the 11th or 10th century BC. We do not know if the fort's defences were built at that very early time.

King Arthur Connection

For a long time, some people have thought that Kelly Rounds might be the famous Celliwig. This was believed to be the home fort of the legendary King Arthur. However, only a few pieces of pottery from after the Roman times have been found here. This makes it hard to say for sure if it was Arthur's home.

Protecting the Site

In July 2010, Kelly Rounds was added to English Heritage's "heritage at risk register." This means the site is slowly getting damaged over time. Being on this list helps to make sure it gets the care it needs to be preserved for the future.

Images for kids

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  3D view of the digital terrain model