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Roman Milestones in Cornwall

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 January 2012

R. G. Collingwood
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Extract

Although the Romans were mining lead in the Mendips by A. D. 49, it seems almost certain that they did not begin seriously to work the Cornish tin-mines for another two hundred years. We only know of one site at which they appear to have mined tin in the first century: the earthwork at Tregear, close to Bodmin, was probably occupied by Roman tin-workers under Vespasian, but it does not seem to have outlasted the reign of Trajan. Cornwall contains no other Roman site of the first or second century; and the isolated finds of that period, which are almost exclusively single coins, are evidence of trade and not of occupation.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , April 1924, pp. 101 - 112
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 1924

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References

page 101 note 1 The large irregular camp near Grampound, O.S. six-inch LVIII NE.; the double camp near Merthen, LXXVII SW.; the small camp at Grambla, near Wendron, LXXVI NE.; possibly the earthwork near Carwythenack, on the same sheet. The Victoria County History earthwork map, with commendable caution, marks none of these as Roman.

page 103 note 1 Beside Bosence, Tregear. and Tintagel, Mr. Greenaway's road is designed to link up Grampound, Trevinnick (St. Kew), and Week St. Mary. Of these three sites not one has yielded any Roman relics: they only possess earthworks, of which those at St. Kew and Week St. Mary are very un-Roman in type, while that near Grampound is at least doubtful. I may here remark that no evidence whatever is forthcoming for the location of Ptolemy's Voliba either at Grampound or anywhere else.

page 108 note 1 Mr. Jenner expresses some doubt as to whether Porthleven was a safe natural harbour in Roman times, though no doubt there was always a creek of some sort there.

page 110 note 1 Old Burrow Camp, Exmoor, by Gray, H. St. G.. Trans. Devonshire Assoc. xliv, 703–17 (1912).Google Scholar I am indebted to Mr. Bushe-Fox for pointing out to me the significance of this site.

page 110 note 2 Though Mr. O. G. S. Crawford kindly tells me that an unrecorded earthwork, suspiciously Roman in appearance, has lately been seen near this road, a little south of Helebridge.