Archaeology Cornwall

On Wednesday, under the cover of a thick Land’s End fog, the St Just ‘Vicarage’ cross was restored in the churchyard at St Just. A few finishing touches remain to be done, but here is a preview. The work was carried out by Adrian Thomas of St Just, under the eye of churchwarden Gillian Hocking and Andrew Langdon. It was overseen by CAU and funded by Historic England.
This rugged medieval wayside cross was carved in a very coarse-grained granite and had been seriously eroded by time; but the work has given it a real face-lift and better still, it is now fully and easily accessible.

Looking forward to seeing your applications! Click the links below each job title :)

STOP PRESS! Tomorrow's scrub bashing at King Arthur's Hall has been cancelled due the extreme weather forecast. We hope the clearance day of December 13th will go ahead as planned. Apologies for the inconvenience - but it is a very exposed site!

Cornwall Archaeological Unit is organising volunteer scrub clearance at the enigmatic monument of King Arthur's Hall on Bodmin Moor, which rapidly being overrun with vegetation. Come along and help clear this important site - no experience necessary!
Meet 10.30 on Emblance Downs, by the turning to Ivey. SX 13028 76785, postcode PL30 4JN
• Bring lunch and a drink... • Wear tough waterproof clothing and shoes • Some tools will be provided, but please bring sturdy gloves and if you have a favourite pair of loppers, pruning saw, or secateurs that you would like to use, please do bring them.
Follow the hyperlink for information about the site.
King Arthur’s Hall http://www.historic-cornwall.org.uk/…/k ing_arthurs_hall/kin…
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Would you like to join the CAU Team?
We are currently advertising two new posts:
Assistant Archaeologist (Digital & Admin) ... https://cornwall.taleo.net/c…/cornwall_ portal/jobdetail.ftl…
&
Assistant Archaeologist https://cornwall.taleo.net/c…/cornwall_ portal/jobdetail.ftl…
Closing date for applications is 16th December 2018
Please share as widely as possible.
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Propped against the wall behind the SELUS inscribed stone, in St Just in Penwith Church, is a medieval granite cross, known as the St Just Vicarage Cross. This was brought to the church for safe-keeping three years ago. Now, as part of CAU’s Scheduled Monument Management Project, the cross is to be set up in the churchyard in a base-stone of reclaimed granite. Local stonemason Adrian Thomas has acquired a suitable block of recycled granite and will be removing the cross from the church for a short period so that he can ‘tailor’ the base-stone to fit the cross.

Martin reckons his latest find will come in handy for an on-site fry up!

SCRUB BASHING! Managing Monuments in Mid Cornwall
Cornwall Archaeological Unit is organising a series of volunteer scrub clearance sessions this winter, to help improve the condition and management of a small group of important Scheduled Monuments. The sites include King Arthur’s Hall on Bodmin Moor, Prideaux Hillfort, set above the lovely Luxulyan valley and the Neolithic Castilly henge.
... The provisional timetable is below. Sessions will normally be from 10.30 – 3.30.
• Bring lunch and a drink • Wear tough waterproof clothing and shoes • Some tools will be provided, but please bring sturdy gloves and if you have a favourite pair of loppers, pruning saw, or secateurs that you would like to use, please do bring them.
We will confirm details of each session, including meeting places, closer to the time.
Follow the hyperlinks for information about each site.
King Arthur’s Hall http://www.historic-cornwall.org.uk/…/k ing_arthurs_hall/kin…
https://historicengland.org.uk/…/the-li st/list-entry/1006706
Prideaux Hillfort https://historicengland.org.uk/…/the-li st/list-entry/1006663
Castilly Henge https://historicengland.org.uk/…/the-li st/list-entry/1006684
http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gate… /Results_Single.aspx…
Programme:
Thursday November 29th King Arthur’s Hall Thursday December 13th King Arthur’s Hall Thursday January 10th Prideaux Hillfort Thursday January 24th Prideaux Hillfort Thursday February 7th Castilly Henge Thursday February 21st Castilly Henge Thursday March 7th Castilly Henge
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Today is Historic England’s Heritage at Risk launch day and it has a feature on Cornwall and IOS.
https://historicengland.org.uk/…/cornwa ll-and-isles-of-sci…/
It includes some of the projects that CAU have been involved in, including Trelill Holy well, conserved through the Scheduled Monument Management project and removed from the register in 2014 and St Buryan Churchyard Cross, where we did the archaeological recording and found, within the existing stepped plinth, remain...s of a set of earlier steps and a medieval cross slab. St Buryan Churchyard Cross was removed from the register in 2016.
https://historicengland.org.uk/…/cornwa ll-…/local-solutions/
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Some more pics of our day with the Penwith Landscape Parnership

Last week CAU trained Penwith Landscape Partnership volunteers in archaeological survey techniques. Here they are putting their new skills into practice at the medieval Plen an Gwarry in St Just
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fb id=374397326460016&id=30629325327042 4

The Tresungers Cross has finally been restored in St Endellion’s Churchyard. Heavy work for Alex Piper and team manoeuvring the new base into the churchyard. Rollers helped - these guys could have built Stonehenge! The cross itself was light work by comparison. It was then levelled and mortared into place and is now stable and secure, and looks great.

On Saturday 10th November, Cornwall Archaeological Society are holding an 'Archaeology in Cornwall Day' at Truro College. Why not go along and meet some of the Archaeologists working in Cornwall (including a few of the CAU team) and hear about their recent projects? Further details and the booking form can be found here: https://cornisharchaeology.org.uk/events/ archaeology/

Conservation work on the medieval Tresungers Cross from St Endellion has started at Bearah Tor quarry. Alex Piper carefully chipped away the unsightly cement that was smeared over the joint between the cross and its ‘shaft’ (in reality an ill-fitting piece of granite mullion). Cement was also packing a large broken area in the cross, which is now being filled with a special ‘Polyphant’ lime-based mortar, designed to blend with the dark greenstone of the cross. After this has been completed, the cross will be secured in a new base, to be cut from a piece of reclaimed granite. Before long, the cross will be restored to St Endellion Church.

The Tresungers Cross, a Scheduled Ancient Monument, left St Endellion Church for Bearah Tor quarry last Friday morning. The cross, which was damaged in a storm some four years ago is due to undergo conservation work. Restoration is being organised by CAU and funded by Historic England.
Pictured are Rev’d Canon Judith Pollinger and Lay Prebendary Frances Kent, churchwarden of St Endellion Church, Alex Piper and team (Lawrence Pullen and Robert Piper, apprentice), stone masons from Bearah Tor quarry http://www.cfpiperandson.co.uk/ and Andrew Langdon, local historian and advocate for medieval stone crosses in Cornwall.