Promontory forts of Cornwall facts for kids
Cornish promontory forts, often called cliff castles in Cornwall, are ancient strongholds built on coastal headlands. Think of them as the seaside versions of hill forts or "rounds" found on hills and slopes further inland. You can find similar coastal forts along the coasts of northwest Europe, like in Normandy, Brittany, and around the British Isles, especially in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. Many are found in southwest England, particularly in Cornwall and Devon. There are even two just west of Cornwall, in the Isles of Scilly.
A promontory fort is a piece of land sticking out into the sea, cut off from the main land by walls or ditches. These defenses could be made of stone, earth, or turf. Some forts have just one wall (called a univallate fort), while others have many (multivallate forts). They often have ditches too, dug out to create the ramparts.
Most British promontory forts were built during the Iron Age (around 800 BC to 100 AD). They were used, more or less continuously, into the early Roman period. We're not entirely sure what their main purpose was. They offered easy access to sea routes, which was great for trade or travel. However, some were built in very wild, hard-to-reach places, suggesting they might have only been used sometimes, perhaps just in certain seasons.
Unlike inland hill forts, which show signs of people living there for a long time, cliff castles seem to have been used less often, if at all, for everyday living. Many hill forts were used again after the Roman era, but most cliff castles were abandoned. Some were even taken apart for their building stones.
Treryn Dinas is one of the few Cornish promontory forts that archaeologists have carefully studied by digging. Experts believe it might have started as a special place in the Bronze Age for ceremonies, religious events, or important community gatherings. Old scholars, like William Borlase, have long wondered about the ancient uses of these Cornish cliff castles. Today, many agree that cliff castles were probably important places for religious events, trading goods, and managing local affairs. Their ability to defend against attacks might have been a secondary use.
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Where to Find Cliff Castles
The following cliff castles in Cornwall are listed from the border with Devon at the Marsland Valley, heading west towards Land's End, and then east via The Lizard to Cremyll, which looks over Plymouth Sound. Some sites that are not fully proven or are uncertain are shown in italics.
Dizzard
The Dizzard is a cliff area in St Gennys parish. It's known for its important lichen communities. The "promontory fort" here is probably just a natural rock formation.
Castle Point
Castle Point is another place that was thought to be a fort. However, experts from English Heritage believe it's most likely a natural feature.
Willapark (Boscastle)
Willapark (Boscastle) is a headland near Boscastle. It has a single straight bank, about 110 m (360.9 ft) long and up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft) high. There's a ditch on the landward side. The current path might show where the original entrance was. This fort looks over Forrabury Common, an old medieval field system.
Dinas Head
Dinas Head is on the west side of Trevose Head in St Merryn parish. It's a protected ancient monument, but aerial photos don't show any signs of defensive earthworks.
Winecove Point
Winecove Point is south of Treyarnon Bay. It has three headlands, each registered as a separate ancient monument. The South West Coast Path runs along the east side of the entrances.
Trevelgue Head
Trevelgue Head is a protected monument near Newquay. You can see the defensive walls of the fort and two round barrows (ancient burial mounds) from the early Bronze Age. Digs in 1939 found foundations of roundhouses from the 2nd century BC. There was also evidence of metalworking and many old tools, pottery pieces, and objects made of tin, copper, and iron.
Tregea Hill
Tregea Hill, also called Western Hill, is a possible promontory fort site near Portreath. The headland is enclosed by an earthen bank, about 0.75 m (2.5 ft) high. Parts of it have been worn away by the sea.
Crane Castle
Crane Castle is in Illogan parish. Records mention it from the 1500s. Much of the cliff has eroded, but parts of a double wall and ditches remain. The walls are about 85 m (278.9 ft) and 71 m (232.9 ft) long, and average 2.3 m (7.5 ft) high. The ditch can be up to 2 m (6.6 ft) deep. Excavations in 2012 found the inner ditch was 5.5 m (18.0 ft) below the top of the wall. The outer ditch was cut 1.5 m (4.9 ft) into the rock. The narrow area between the ditches might have been a "killing zone" to trap attackers. The only find was a piece of a fine Roman bottle, probably from Gaul.
Gurnard's Head
Gurnard's Head (meaning desolate one in Cornish) is a large hillfort with multiple walls in Zennor parish. It's one of only three in Cornwall that have been excavated. The inner wall is the biggest, over 5 m (16.4 ft) wide at the base and up to 2 m (6.6 ft) high. There are also sixteen shallow scoops on the eastern side, which are thought to be the remains of huts. Finds like an iron knife, buckle, and pottery suggest people lived here around the mid-2nd century BC.
Bosigran
Bosigran Castle is an ancient monument in Zennor parish. It's owned by the National Trust. The headland is cut off by a stone wall up to 1.6 m (5.2 ft) high. There's no outer ditch and no signs of hut circles or people living there.
Kenidjack
Kenidjack Castle is a hillfort with multiple walls in St Just. It has two sets of triple walls with outer ditches. The northern walls are the best preserved and show signs of stone facing. The outer wall on the southern side has been lost due to erosion.
Cape Cornwall
In the 1870s, William Copeland Borlase thought he saw signs of a cliff castle on Cape Cornwall. However, a survey in 1960 only found a possible ridge. English Heritage believes it was probably not a fort.
Maen Castle
Maen Castle (meaning stone castle in Cornish) is an ancient monument owned by the National Trust. It's located between Sennen Cove and Land's End in Sennen parish. The South West Coast Path passes its entrance. A ditch and outer bank cut off a small headland. It's thought to be one of the oldest cliff castles.
Archaeologists dug here in 1939 and again in 1948–49. They found 300 pieces of pottery, mostly from one living area, dating between 800 and 400 BC. A 1986 survey found that the wall was built into an older field system, possibly from the Bronze Age or early Iron Age.
Carn Les Boel
Carn Les Boel is an ancient monument between Nanjizal and Gwennap Head in St Levan parish. It's not certain if it's a true cliff castle. One of its banks might be from the 1800s.
Treryn Dinas
Treryn Dinas is a promontory fort and protected monument near Treen. It's owned by the National Trust. Its landward side has widely spaced defensive earthworks. The innermost wall, crossing the narrowest part of the headland, is up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) high. Beyond it are two lower curving walls and a huge outer wall, up to 6.1 metres (20 ft) high, with a ditch and an entrance. The famous Logan Rock sits within the fort, above the cliffs.
St Michael's Mount
A group of earthworks on St Michael's Mount are believed to be the walls of a cliff castle. They were found in 1992 on the eastern side of the Mount, separating the granite rock from the harbor area.
Lankidden
Lankidden is a cliff castle with one wall (univallate) between Coverack and Kennack Sands on Lizard peninsula. The wall is 100 m (328.1 ft) long and up to 4 m (13.1 ft) high, with a ditch 0.5 m (1.6 ft) deep. Part of the wall and ditch on the west side have been lost to erosion.
Images for kids
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Trevelgue Head is a fortified promontory near Newquay.
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Rame Head
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