Journal 22.

Downloaded from the Council for British Archaeology (South-West) website.

http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbasw/

EXCAVATIONS AT BODEN VEAN, MANACCAN, 2008

James Gossip

Introduction
Archaeological excavation in a field close to Boden Vean, just south of Manaccan on the
Lizard Peninsula took place over five weekends during September and October 2008. The
site was chosen as a result of work carried out in 2003 when a team from the Historic
Environment Service, Cornwall County Council carried out a programme of archaeological
recording as part of an evaluation of an Iron Age enclosure and fogou. This original work
was funded by English Heritage and came about because of events that began in 1991
when pipe-laying by the landowner led to the discovery of a shaft containing Romano-British
pottery and to the rediscovery of a fogou (subterranean passage) which had been
documented in this area since the early nineteenth century (recorded by Rev Richard
Polwhele, vicar of Manaccan in 1816).

A trench targeting one of the geophysical

anomalies revealed the edge of a Bronze
Age roundhouse containing fragments of
a very large Middle Bronze Age Trevisker
Ware vessel, radiocarbon-dated to circa
1300 BC raising questions relating to
whether the structure had a ritual or
domestic function. The pot was richly
decorated with several bands of
chevrons and other patterns formed by
twisted cord impression and incision.
Reconstruction of the vessel on paper
suggested that it was the largest of its Figure 14-1: CAS members participate in the
period known from Cornwall. Sherds of excavation. Photograph by courtesy of Cornwall CC
three other unusually large vessels were Historic Environment Service.
also found.

The objectives of the excavation of 2008 were to recover more of this pot, possibly to enable
reconstruction and display at the Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro, and to help understand the
practices and extent of ritual deposition within the abandonment phases of Bronze Age
domestic structures. It was also hoped that the excavation would provide Cornwall
Archaeological Society members with an opportunity to gain extensive fieldwork experience,
whether they were novices or seasoned excavators.

The excavation

A square trench was opened up by machine targeting the somewhat amorphous geophysical
anomaly evaluated in 2003. A JCB was supplied by the landowner, Chris Hosken, and hand
cleaning proceeded with members of Cornwall Archaeological Society (CAS). The circular

Journal 22.
Downloaded from the Council for British Archaeology (South-West) website.
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbasw/
Journal 22.
Downloaded from the Council for British Archaeology (South-West) website.
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbasw/

shape of a sunken-featured Bronze Age roundhouse slowly emerged and divided into
‘boxes’ within which two or three participants could work at a time.

Excavation of the roundhouse deposits

progressed within these boxes with all
artefacts encountered treated as ‘small-
finds’ and their locations three
dimensionally recorded.

Up to fifteen CAS members were

accommodated on each day; the
excavation itself was planned to take
place over three long weekends, but in
the event took five. All participants were
offered training in aspects of site
recording such as planning, section Figure 14-1: Tony Blackman with YAC members at
drawing, context, small-find and sample Boden. Photograph by courtesy of Cornwall CC
recording. Some took this up, whilst the Historic Environment Service.
majority were happy to hone their skills
as excavators – this was a site rich in finds, and everyone was given the opportunity to
discover a piece of the Bronze Age for themselves!

The excavation was very well publicised, with local press and television present on more
than one occasion. (Figure 14-2) Five local schools visited the site and given a site tour and
a talk on the history of the site as well as a chance to look at the finds with Anna Tyacke,
Portable Antiquities Scheme. A public open day was also well attended, despite horrendous
weather.

Artefact processing and conservation will take place at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro,
again with the help of CAS volunteers. At the time of writing the post-excavation process is
yet to begin and interpretation is therefore at a very early stage. The following summary is
based on tentative interpretation of the data and likely to change during analysis of the
stratigraphy and artefacts.

Middle Bronze Age

The Bronze Age roundhouse comprises a circular cut into the natural bedrock approximately
10m in diameter. The natural ground slopes towards the south and it is likely that the
builders chose a natural hollow in which to place their structure. As a result of this the
northern edge of the roundhouse is effectively terraced into the slope, resulting in the
preservation of deposits up to 0.6m in depth. Three principal layers were identified filling the
roundhouse cut. The uppermost two of these comprised homogenous stony clayish soils
which appeared to be derived from redeposited natural subsoil, suggesting that the
depression had been deliberately infilled using its originally excavated material. These
deposits contained numerous sherds of pottery made from gabbroic clay, the main source of
which lies little more than two miles to the south of the site. The majority of this appeared to
be Middle Bronze Age in date, some of it distinctive Trevisker Ware, but in places later

Journal 22.
Downloaded from the Council for British Archaeology (South-West) website.
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbasw/
Journal 22.
Downloaded from the Council for British Archaeology (South-West) website.
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbasw/

material was also found. This included

sherds of early Iron Age pottery similar
to that discovered in 2003, a clay
spindle whorl and several worked
stones such as whetstones.

Buried by these deposits was a thin

mixed layer rich in charcoal and burnt
clay forming the basal deposit of the
roundhouse, within which were
numerous sherds of Trevisker Ware
pottery, including fragments of the large
vessel recovered in 2003. (Figure 14-3) Figure 14-2: Large sherd of Middle BA Trevisker
Decorative styles included twisted cord Ware. Photograph by courtesy of Cornwall CC
impression, comb stamping and incision Historic Environment Service.
and at least four distinct and structured groups of pottery, supporting the evidence for ritual
deposition first suggested by the large pot sherds found in 2003.

A number of postholes were identified around the perimeter of the cut, cutting the charcoal
rich layer, one of which contained two fired clay perforated weights and another a well-
preserved copper alloy knife. It is possible that these objects were placed in the postholes
after the posts had been removed, but this interpretation awaits further stratigraphical
analysis. A hearth was found in the centre of the structure comprising a bowl-shaped pit with
a burnt lining and filled with heat fractured stone, also suggestive of a deliberate
‘decommissioning’ of the roundhouse on abandonment.

Iron Age
Close to the south eastern edge of the Bronze Age roundhouse was a steep-sided ditch cut
through natural bedrock, aligned north-south. The excavated cut was seen to curve towards
the east and matched the geophysical survey showing a rectilinear enclosure ditch - the
exposed section marking the beginning of the north-western corner of the enclosure. The
ditch was excavated in 2003 during the evaluation which showed that silting or backfilling of
the ditch was fairly advanced by circa 400 BC. Although it is yet to undergo analysis, initial
impressions of material recovered from the ditch fills suggest pottery of a similar date.

Within the roundhouse itself sherds of Early Iron Age date similar to that recovered in 2003
were found in the upper fills of the Bronze Age roundhouse hollow. Discrete intrusive
features were not identified however and it is possible that this area was used by the Early
Iron Age community as some form of midden.

Summary
The excavation has exceeded expectations by revealing a very well-preserved structure
containing a far greater number of high quality artefacts that was initially envisaged. It is
hoped that post-excavation analysis will be successful in answering some of the original
questions raised by the evaluation; it is certain to add to the knowledge and understanding
of the notion of ritual abandonment practices in the Cornish Bronze Age. Closer definition of
the site chronology may help formulate ideas on the use of the roundhouse site over time

Journal 22.
Downloaded from the Council for British Archaeology (South-West) website.
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbasw/
Journal 22.
Downloaded from the Council for British Archaeology (South-West) website.
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbasw/

and its possible relevance to an Iron Age community occupying the adjacent site almost a
thousand years after its primary use.
One of the main successes of the excavation was its achievement in providing Cornwall
Archaeological Society members with the chance to gain first hand experience of excavation
and at the same time to contribute significantly to the study of Cornwall’s past. It is hoped
that the same level of enthusiasm and involvement will be maintained throughout the post-
excavation process.
The excavation and post-excavation analysis is funded by Cornwall Archaeological Society
with the help of the Meneage Archaeology Group and Royal Cornwall Museum.
JG

Journal 22.
Downloaded from the Council for British Archaeology (South-West) website.
http://www.britarch.ac.uk/cbasw/