Lescudjack Hill Fort facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lescudjack Hill Fort |
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The site of Lescudjack Hill Fort, Penzance, Cornwall looking northwest
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| General information | |
| Location | Penzance, Cornwall, England |
| Coordinates | 50°7′30″N 5°31′59″W / 50.12500°N 5.53306°W |
| Landlord | Penwith District Council and Penzance Town Council |
Lescudjack Hill Fort is an ancient settlement from the Iron Age in Penzance, Cornwall. It's built on top of a very steep hill on the east side of Penzance. This fort has a single wall, called a rampart, that goes around an area about the size of three football fields (3 acres).
Even though it's very old, archaeologists haven't dug up this site yet to learn more about it. Parts of the fort have been changed over time. Today, you can find garden plots called allotments there, and an open space that was recently cleared of thick bushes. People used to say there was a small mine for lead and copper just outside the fort's walls, but there's no sign of it now.
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Protecting Lescudjack Hill Fort
In 2004, the land where Lescudjack Hill Fort sits was bought by Penwith District Council and Penzance Town Council. They paid £45,000 for it. This happened after many local people and groups campaigned to save the site. Even the children from Lescudjack Infants School (now part of Pensans Primary School) helped with the campaign!
What's Happening Now?
The councils are working together to protect this important historical place. The Cornwall County Council's Historic Environment Service is doing a full archaeological survey. This means they are carefully studying the site to learn about its past without digging it up yet. There's also a special plan to manage the site, agreed upon by both Penzance Town Council and Penwith District Council.
The Fort's Name and History
For a long time, people in the area called this place a "castle." That's why the road next to it is named Castle Road! Many other places nearby also use the name Lescudjack, like two schools and a local community center called Sure Start.
The fort was officially opened for everyone to visit on December 21, 2007. This was part of the Montol Festival, a local celebration.
What Does Lescudjack Mean?
The name Lescudjack might come from the old Cornish language. One idea is that it means "shielded enclosure," from the words lan (enclosure) and scosek (shielded). Another idea, which seems more likely, is that it means "wooded valley," from nans (valley) and cosek (wooded).
There's also a street nearby called LESKInnick terrace. This name might come from Cornish words meaning "to burn" (lesky), "fuel" (cunnys), and "a place where found" (ack). So, Leskinnick could mean a "beacon place." This makes us wonder if Lescudjack might have been a place where fires were lit, perhaps as signals.
