LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Cornwall and Scilly MCO6575-77 (26312)
NMR: SW 98 SW 1 (431052)
SM: 1004625
NGR: SW93408108
X: 193400 Y: 81080 (OSGB36)
Large promontory fort enclosing c. 3.1ha of rocky N-facing coastal headland of Rumps Point, Pentire Head, between Padstow and Port Quin Bays. Steep sea cliffs to N, E, W. Three ramparts and partially rock-cut ditches cut off neck of headland at narrowest landward point to S. Ramparts possibly phased, with occupation behind middle and inner ramparts and in interior on level platforms. Ramparts have simple entrance gaps. Partial excavations by Cornwall Archaeological Society 1963-1967 revealed three phases of building and two of occupation. Initial settlement contemporary with inner rampart and pottery 2nd century BC with large timber gateway. Middle rampart superseded inner, final period of occupation ending in mid 1st century AD. Outer rampart, with revetted outer face and inner facing wall of different construction. Earliest feature behind outer rampart V-shaped ditch with possible palisade and much occupation, as well as between middle and inner ramparts. Several hut platforms here excavated with spindle whorls, quern stones, whetstones, possible remains of a loom and predominance of sheep bones. At least six roundhouses discovered. Finds suggested the occupants had trading links with the Mediterranean as amphora found. Coastal grassland and bare rock. On 1st Ed. OS map (1881). Generally good condition.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -547738 Y: 6549567 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -4.920418316655622 Latitude: 50.59273425120227 (EPSG:4326)
Country: England
Current County or Unitary Authority: Cornwall
Historic County: Cornwall
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: St Minver Highlands
Despite significant coastal erosion of site, survives well.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✓ |
Coastal grassland and bare rock.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✓ |
| Other | ✗ |
Promontory fort (aka cliff castle) located on rocky N-facing coastal headland of Rumps Point, between Padstow and Port Quin Bays. Steep sea cliffs to N, E, W.
| Contour Fort | ✗ |
| Partial Contour Fort | ✗ |
| Promontory Fort | ✓ |
| Hillslope Fort | ✗ |
| Level Terrain Fort | ✗ |
| Marsh Fort | ✗ |
| Multiple Enclosure Fort | ✗ |
Coastal headland location with sea cliffs
| Hilltop | ✗ |
| Coastal Promontory | ✓ |
| Inland Promontory | ✗ |
| Valley Bottom | ✗ |
| Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop | ✗ |
| Ridge | ✗ |
| Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp | ✗ |
| Hillslope | ✗ |
| Lowland | ✗ |
| Spur | ✗ |
Dominant Topographic Feature: Coastal headland.
| North | ✓ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 63.0m
N/A
Iron Age to Romano British 2nd century BC to 1st century AD. Initial settlement contemporary with inner rampart and pottery of 2nd century with large timber gateway. Middle rampart superseded inner, final period of occupation ending in mid 1st century AD. Lower Iron Age finds.
Reliability: B - Medium
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✓ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✓ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
| Artefactual: | Lower Iron Age finds. Pottery dating. |
First recorded by Norden in 1584 and called 'Pentire Forte'. On 1st Ed. OS map (1881). Excavation R.T. Brooks Cornwall Archaeological Society 1963-1967 - National Trust Project Reference No: 9545. Field investigation Ordnance Survey 1972.
| 1st Identified Written Reference (1584): | Norden in 1584 and called 'Pentire Forte' - no details. |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1881): | OS map. |
| Other (1972): | Field investigation OS. |
| Other (1978): | Visit by Hillfort Study Group |
| Other (2006): | Visited by Hillfort Study Group |
| Excavation (None): | National Trust project Cornwall Archaeological Society - R.T. Brooks. |
Partial excavations by Cornwall Archaeological Society 1963 - 1967 revealed three phases of building and two of occupation. At least six roundhouses discovered and several hut platforms excavated with spindle whorls, quern stones, whetstones, possible remains of a loom and predominance of sheep bones. Finds suggested the occupants had trading links with the Mediterranean as amphora found.
None
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
At least six roundhouses discovered.
| No Known Features | ✗ |
| Round Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms | ✓ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Partial excavations by Cornwall Archaeological Society 1963-1967 revealed three phases of building and two of occupation. At least six roundhouses discovered and several hut platforms excavated.
| No Known Excavation | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✓ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
None
| No Known Geophysics | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
Several hut platforms excavated with spindle whorls, quern stones, whetstones, possible remains of a loom and predominance of sheep bones. Finds suggested the occupants had trading links with the Mediterranean as amphora found.
| No Known Finds | ✗ |
| Pottery | ✓ |
| Metal | ✗ |
| Metalworking | ✗ |
| Human Bones | ✗ |
| Animal Bones | ✓ |
| Lithics | ✓ |
| Environmental | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
None
| APs Not Checked | ✓ |
| None | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Ramparts have staggered simple entrance gaps to S. Initial settlement had large timber gateway. Entrance had possible superstructures.
| 1: | Entrance had possible superstructures. |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Over-lapping (South): | Staggered entrance. |
Three ramparts and partially rock-cut ditches cut off the neck of the headland at its narrowest point landward to S to form large irregularly-shaped enclosure. Initial settlement was contemporary with inner rampart and pottery 2nd century BC with large timber gateway. Middle rampart superseded inner, final period of occupation ending in mid 1st century AD. Outer rampart with revetted outer face and inner facing wall of different construction. Earliest feature behind outer rampart V-shaped ditch with possible palisade and much occupation, as well as between middle and inner ramparts.
| Area 1: | 3.1ha. |
| Total: | 3.1ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✓ | Partial excavations by Cornwall Archaeological Society 1963-1967 revealed three phases of building and two of occupation. |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SE Quadrant: | 3 |
| SW Quadrant: | 3 |
| NW Quadrant: | 0 |
| Total: | 3 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✓ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✓ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
None
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✗ |
| Stone Wall | ✓ |
| Rubble | ✗ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Outer rampart with revetted outer face and inner facing wall of different construction. Earliest feature on site behind outer rampart V-shaped ditch with possible palisade.
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✓ |
| Stone Wall | ✓ |
| Murus Duplex | ✗ |
| Timber-framed | ✗ |
| Timber-laced | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✓ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| No Known Excavation | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | Three partially rock-cut ditches. Earliest feature on site behind outer rampart V-shaped ditch with possible palisade. |
Number of Ditches: 3
| ✗ | None |
Anon 1963. Field Guide, Cornwall Archaeological Society.
Brooks, R.T. 1965, The Rumps, St Minver: First interim report of the 1964 season, Cornish Archaeol, 4, 26-34
Brooks, R.T. 1966, The Rumps, St Minver: Second interim report of the 1965 season, Cornish Archaeol, 5, 4-10.
Brooks, R.T. 1974. The excavation of The Rumps cliff castle, St Minver, Cornwall, Cornish Arch, 13, 5-50.
Cotton, M.A. 1958-9. Cornish Cliff Castles, Proc West Cornwall Fld Club, 2, 3, 119.
Johnson, N. and Rose, P. 1982. Defended settlement in Cornwall - an illustrated discussion, In ed. D. Miles, The Romano-British countryside: Studies in rural settlement and economy, BAR Brit Ser 103, 151-207.
Page, W. ed. 1906. The Victoria History of the County of Cornwall, 1, London: James Street, 455.
Quinell, H. 1986. Cornwall during the Iron Age and Roman period, Cornish Archaeol, 25, 111-34.
Atlas of Hillforts:
Wikidata:
This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
and should be cited as:
Lock, Gary and Ralston, Ian. 2024. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk
Document Version 1.1