Data copyright © Cornwall Council unless otherwise stated
This work is licensed under the ADS Terms of Use and Access.
Jacky
Nowakowski
Historic Environment Service
Cornwall Council
Kennall Building, Old County Hall
Station Road
Truro
TR1 3AY
UK
Tel: 01872 323604
The Gwithian archive comprises a large assemblage of inter-related documents, drawings, photographs and finds which were created during a long campaign of archaeological fieldwork directed by Charles Thomas at Gwithian, Hayle, Cornwall from 1949 to 1969. The archaeological work undertaken at Gwithian produced results of national and regional significance and was one of the first landscape projects carried out in the county.
The digital archive comprises all files generated in electronic format generated during the course of the ALSF project, and for which permissions have been granted for deposit:
Unique codes were given to each site or archaeological intervention. The codes equate to different scales of archaeological fieldwork and investigation from field survey, sampling through to section recording, trial pit and/or large excavation. The codes identify the site and form the main link between the material, documentary and graphic archives. The following list comprises all sites recorded as part of the Gwithian project and are presented in alphabetic order.
Site Code | Description |
---|---|
AF | Material some from Gwithian, sectioned by the implement Petrology sub-committee of the SW Federation of Museum and Art galleries (cf, eg PPS 38 (1972), 235-275 ). |
BZ | Mesolithic site - cliff-top exposure of Mesolithic land surface |
CARWIN | RB camp at Carwin surveyed in 1956 (mobile team 17th April 1960). |
Cliff Section | Quaternary section by mobile team 24th March 1958. |
CG | Crane Godrevy: RB enclosed site and medieval settlement |
CM | Callean farm: Memmoan Field. (Dense) Mesolithic flint scatter |
CP | Carwin Camp: RB site- surveyed |
Fishing Cove | Collection of flint beach pebbles as sample |
GB | Godrevy Barrow: preserved Mesolithic floor and BA barrow- excavation |
GBN | Section behind tractor barn, Godrevy farm: Mesolithic layer |
GE | Godrevy exposure: Bare face on hillside 100 yards NW of GW Limited investigation. |
GF | Godrevy Field. Shallow cuttings to test date of vestigal banks downhill of site Crane Godrevy in 1966. No definite date - probably medieval |
GGN | Mesolithic material from GBN, spread by National Trust on Godrevy Green. |
GH | Code used twice. Godrevy Hillside: IA/RB site excavated in 1958 in fields SE of Crane between Pencobben and Godrevy head. Also survey in 1963 of IA/RB field systems on Godrevy Headland |
GJ | Supposed late house site by hedge between town and farm (downhill W from Crane Godrevy): Possible post- medieval feature (18th-19th cent.date) by mobile team 7th April 1958 |
GK | Top of Garrack: Above DMV of Negosias ruined medieval site- survey and surface collection only |
GLW | Godrevy Lower Weeth. Surface collection of Medieval and post-medieval finds in 2004- possible site of medieval farm buildings. |
GM/A | Site associated with GM/I to the west of the GM/I cuttings Post Roman/Early Medieval 1955 |
GM/B | Site associated with GM/I to the west of the GM/I cuttings Post Roman/Early Medieval 1955 |
GM/C | Site associated with GM/I to the west of the GM/I cuttings Post Roman/Early Medieval Unexcavated |
GM/D | Site associated with GM/I to the west of the GM/I cuttings Post Roman/Early Medieval Unexcavated |
GM/E | Site associated with GM/I to the west of the GM/I cuttings Post Roman/Early Medieval 1955 |
GM/I | Gwithian stratified homestead with middens: Main Post Roman/Early Medieval site |
GM/II | Stones on hillside north of centre of main 1960 grid: wall on N part of GM/X. Later superseded by GM/X cuttings 30 plus modern feature |
GM/III | Horseshoe-shaped bank north of 1960 camp, sectioned in 1954 and found to be modern. Later superseded by GM/X cuttings |
GM/IV | Probable industrial site NE of GM/I- excavated, 1956 Post Roman/Early Medieval |
GM/V | MBA site, assumed to be a barrow, later revealed to be part of BA landscape dug completely in 1955 |
GM/VI | Code used twice: Stone pillar on Garrack dug in 1956=NN period unknown. Also subsidiary site of GMI excavated in 1954 Post Roman |
GM/VII | Code used twice: Former trial cuts on GM/I 1955 - all part of GMI Post Roman/Early Medieval. Also site of single cutting to the east of GMV excavated 1954 (location unknown) BA |
GM/VIII | Former trial cuts on GMI 1955 - all part of GMI, later became part of GME Post Roman/Early Medieval |
Main Bronze Age Sites | |
GM/IX | Area south centre of 1960 main grid, layers 3 and 5 BA |
GM/X | Main MBA to LAB site layers 3 and 5, centre of 1960 grid |
GM/XI | Mound (and later area) north west part of 1960 grid (also includes GM/XII and GM/XIII) BA |
GM/XII | Mound, north west part of 1960 grid (when excavated, renamed GM/XI) BA |
GM/XIII | Mound, north west part of 1960 grid (when excavated, renamed GM/XI) BA |
GM/XIV | Mound, south west part of the same BA |
GM/XV | Area comprising eastern six squares of 1960 grid, layers 7 and 8 houses BA |
GM/XVI | A circular earthwork (ditched enclosure) sectioned in 1963, NE from GM/XV, layer 5? BA |
GM/XVII | GM/XVIII and GM/XIX,Codes not used |
GM/XX | Area south of GM/XV Post Roman large rectangular field- excavated |
GM/XXI | Field, area of ridge and furrow some way west of GM/X Post Roman and Medieval- surveyed and excavated |
GM/XXII | Midden in seasonal pond north of GM/1 Post Roman- excavated |
GM/M | Site: geological cutting 30/6/1960 to 07/07/60 to find the main Mousterian beach by mobile team in 1960. NW of site GM/I. |
GM/Y | (or 'Y') Cutting across raised land to NE of GM/I mound Post Roman (mobile team 2nd April 1960). |
GO=GW | Godrevy outcrop: wall about 25 yards north of rifle butts. Replaced at once by code GW BA |
Godrevy Farm | Extant Farm building survey by mobile team 3rd April 1958. |
GP | Godrevy Pond: Flints from Godrevy pond: possible Palaeolithic and early Mesolithic deposits |
GR | Raised beach section at GT/ Mesolithic finds, GR not used |
GRR | Post-medieval? 7 cuttings excavated by CCRA in 1977 of a wall next to the Rifle Range butts. |
GT | Code used twice: Porth Godrevy, RB excavated site and Gwithian clifftops, exposure in cliffs- Mesolithic(considerable linear scatter) |
GU | Exposed surface site, Mesolithic former Caravan Park in NT carpark. Probably same land surface as that recorded at BZ and RR. |
GW=GO | Gwithian wall: outcrop of wall 25' N of rifle butts, BA: sectioned. |
Gwithian Green | Survey of whole green by mobile team 4th April 1958 |
GY | The Gilly, Weeth, Camborne: 1950-1951, flints and pebbles from a drainage trench - Mesolithic flint scatter |
HeM | Hell's Mouth. Exposed surface site, Mesolithic in eroded path to Hell's Mouth. |
HU | Hudder field area: finds: Dense Mesolithic flint scatters - potential occupation/activity site and Neolithic, and BA barrow site |
HU/NE | NE area of Hudder field, 2003, Dense Mesolithic flint scatters - potential occupation/activity site |
HU/SS | Southern area of Hudder field, 2003, Mesolithic flint scatter, |
HP | Mesolithic, BA and Medieval 'Hockins Pit', generally known as OLS/HP. |
KY | Kynance field, Godrevy farm, now set-aside: Mesolithic ?scatter |
MY | Abandoned code for GMXVI, Aug 1963 BA |
NC | Mesolithic and Neolithic surface site found by HJ Berryman in 1990; 2 north cliff fields. |
ND | End field at New Downs opposite HU/SS, surface Mesolithic flint scatter |
NE | Pre-1990 code, now (2003) coded HU/NE, NE corner of Hudder field, Mesolithic |
NE/O | 1989 Outcrop surface, outside HU/NE on cliff path: Mesolithic flint scatter |
OLS | Old land surface, including Hockin's pit, NE of SL: Mesolithic, BA, Post Roman, and Medieval - see also OLS/HP,OLS/WE. |
PB | Medieval or Post-medieval parish boundary bank south of CG, excavated. |
PC | Pencobben cliff field, surface: Mesolithic flint scatter and Medieval |
PE | Pencobben cliff fields and fields around house: Mesolithic flint scatter and Medieval |
PEH (or PH) | Pencobben, hillside, field below house: Mesolithic flint scatter |
PS | Pencobben, Sandy Ground field: Mesolithic flint scatter |
PT | Phillack Towans: Mesolithic, BA, IA and Post-Roman surface site (mobile team 6th April 1956). |
RD | Reskajeage Downs, clifftop E of HU and ND; BA Barrow site in 1957 (mobile team 18th April 1957). |
RDK | Kieve mill, Cuttings Hill, Reskadinnick, SWW pipeline 1998: |
RR | Red River, steep bank on low cliff edge on north of river, near BZ and GU: Mesolithic stratified scatters Mesolithic |
SL | Sandy Lane, site of Conarton, middens: RB, post Roman and Medieval |
Trevoryan Round | Measured plan of IA?RB site by mobile team 31st March 1958 |
Trevarnon Round | Measured plan of IA?RB site by mobile team 1st April 1958 |
UL | Site on path at Knavocks, found by Urs Leuzinger 1985: Mesolithic probable scatter |
WE | Wheal Emily, Gwithian Towans, minor surface exposures of Mesolithic flints, RB and possibly Post Roman |
WG | Withy Garden or Conerton hundred-pound, on Gwithian Common: Medieval |
Y | Cutting across raised land to NE of GM/I, see under GM/ sites. Same as GM/Y Post Roman |
GM/AA to GM/ZZ | Register of stone finds |
Full drafts of a selection of publications produced during the course of the project can be accessed from the downloads page.
This report is accompanied by a series of specialist tables and figures as CSV and PDF files. Please note that the download version of this report does not include sections 11-15.
The digital archive contains a small selection of images, presented here as Portable Network Graphic (PNG) files. Copyright of these photographs is retained by the Gwithian Archive and Cornwall County Council Historic Environment Service (Joanna Sturgess, Jacky Nowakowski ,Carl Thorpe, Charles Thomas, JVS Megaw, Ian Cossar).
Finds database for the main Bronze Age and post-Roman sites - created by the project team as part of the finds audit in 2003 - can be accessed as a series of CSV files from the data downloads page.
The dataset was produced in order to create phase maps containing all the sites in the Gwithian area mentioned within Charles Thomas' Gwithian archive and is copyright of Cornwall County Council Historic Environment Service. The datset uses the following Geographic Co-ordinates: British National Grid W156800 E163730 N43540 S39450. The data can be can be accessed as a zipped archive from the data downloads page.
File Name | Attribute Table | Description |
---|---|---|
gwithian_archive_points | SITE_NAME | Site name |
SITE_CODE | Site code (e.g. KY=Kynance field) | |
PRN | Project Number (if applicable) | |
PERIOD | Archaeological period. Codes used are as follows: ME= Mesolithic NE=Neolithic BA=Bronze Age IA=Iron Age RB=Romano-British EM=Early Medieval MD=Medieval PM=Post medieval | |
EVENT | Work carried out, for example excavation |
Contains surveys of the main Bronze Age Sites, the post-Roman sites, Crane Godrevy (CG), Porth Godrevy (GT), Godrevy Pond (GP) and Godrevy Barrow (GB). SAM OS plan contain survey overlying OS Landline. The data can be can be accessed as DXF files from the data downloads page.
File Name | Description |
---|---|
GMxviia original survey.dxf | Survey locating site GMXVII, tied to Gwithian 1 survey |
GodrevyB survey.dxf | Survey locating site GB Godrevy Barrow |
GT survey.dxf | Survey locating sites GT Porth Godrevy and GP Godrevy Pond |
Gwithian 1.dxf | Survey locating main Bronze Age and post-Roman sites and Crane Godrevy |
SAM OS plan.dxf | Survey locating main Bronze Age and post-Roman sites and Crane Godrevy overlying OS Landline |
Hard copies of the paper and finds archive will be placed at:
In addition to the reports contained within the digital archive the project also produced the following outputs:
Publications / Academic papers |
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Nowakowski, J.A. 2006: Life and Death in a Cornish Valley, British Archaeology 89 July/August. |
Nowakowski, J.A. forthcoming 2007: Living in the Sands - Bronze Age Gwithian, Cornwall, Revisited, in Land and People; papers in honour of John G Evans, Prehistoric Society Research Papers. |
Nowakowski, J.A., Quinnell, H., Sturgess,J., Thomas, C. and Thorpe, C. forthcoming 2007: Title to be confirmed. Summary article on the Gwithian Archive Project for publication in Cornish Archaeology. |
Lectures / Presentations |
Revisiting Bronze Age Gwithian - 50 years on. Paper at conference: Bronze Age Forum, University of Southampton 13th - 14th November 2004 |
Living in the Sands - Gwithian, Cornwall, revisited 50 years on. Paper at Conference: Cornwall Archaeological Society and Devon Archaeological Society Symposium Tavistock October 2005. |
Living in the Sands - Bronze Age Gwithian Revisited. Paper at conference: Land and People conference, Prehistoric Society and University of Cardiff conference 24th - 26th March 2006. |
Meetings / Technical Forums |
Gwithian the Archive: Archaeology beneath the Towans. The Gwithian Excavations 1949-1963 Historic Environment Service (projects) - powerpoint for Project team held at HES offices, Truro on 28th October 2003 |
Gwithian the Archive: Archaeology beneath the Towans. The Gwithian Excavations 1949-1963. The Finds Archive - powerpoint for Project team meeting held at HES offices, Truro on 28th October 2003 |
The Archaeology Data Service (ADS) do not hold any further information regarding these non-digital outputs, any queries should be directed to the depositor.