Meyn Mamvro - No 057 - Summer 2005

Magazine Overview

Title: Meyn Mamvro
Issue: No. 57
Date: Summer 2005
Price: £2.20

This issue of Meyn Mamvro, subtitled 'ancient stones and sacred sites in cornwall', is dedicated to the theme of 'Sacred Landscape'. It delves into various aspects of Cornish heritage, including ancient sites, paganism, folklore, and earth energies.

Contents and Key Articles

Editorial

The editorial section sets the tone for the issue, likely introducing the themes and articles to follow.

Cornish Earth Mysteries Group & Penwith Pagan Moot

These sections likely cover news and activities related to local earth mysteries and pagan gatherings, including reports on events and future plans.

Ancient Sites & Other News

This section provides updates on significant ancient sites. Notably, Lescudjack Hill Fort in West Penwith, Penzance, was saved from auction through a collaborative effort by local councils and heritage services. The article highlights the importance of preserving this Iron Age settlement for future generations. Another significant piece discusses the impending excavation of St. Piran's Church on Penhale Sands, funded by a Heritage Lottery Grant, to uncover the 10th-century structure buried by sand. The Witchcraft Museum in Boscastle is reported to have re-opened after severe damage from floods in August 2004, with thanks extended to the pagan community for their support. The section also touches upon the Solheim murder case, noting media speculation about 'occult' links.

View from the Islands - Tyto Alba

This regular column by Isles of Scilly resident Tyto Alba offers a personal reflection on a trip to Nornour. The author describes the landscape, the remnants of ancient settlements, and the encroaching sea, contemplating the continuity of human presence and the impact of environmental changes.

Gûn Rith Menhir - Is It Upside Down?

This article examines the Gûn Rith menhir, which was re-erected after falling over. Based on a report by Ann Preston-Jones of the Historic Environment Service, the article suggests that the menhir may have been placed upside down. Its shape is described as 'unmistakably and simply phallic', leading to speculation about its original function in fertility rites. The article details how the stone's heaviest part is now at the top, and its shallow foundation may have contributed to its fall. A map illustrates the 'via sacra' alignment in West Penwith, connecting Gûn Rith to other significant sites like the Merry Maidens stone circle and suggesting a possible link to the setting of the Pleiades star system around 1960 BCE, related to the Beltane festival.

The Goddess in the Land - Goddess Landscape Figures in Cornwall

Authored by Cheryl Straffon, this article explores the concept of the Earth as a living being imbued with spirit, seen as an aspect of the Goddess. It discusses how ancient peoples revered the land and its features, citing examples like the twin peaks known as the 'Papa of Anu' in Ireland, representing the breasts of the Earth Goddess. The article also mentions similar breast-shaped hills, the Paps of Jura, in Scotland, and how standing stones and sacred sites on Islay are aligned to them. A photograph shows the Paps of Jura and a standing stone on Islay.

Chapel Carn Brea & the Nanjulian Barrows

This piece, by Paul Bonnington, likely details the significance and exploration of these specific archaeological sites in Cornwall.

The Trevose Goddess

Authored by Howard Balmer, this article presumably focuses on a specific Goddess figure or representation associated with the Trevose area.

Cornwall's Colourful Sites - Goddess in the Land

This appears to be a continuation or related piece to Cheryl Straffon's article, possibly highlighting visually striking or significant sites related to the Goddess.

Book Review: Stone to Rock, River to Sea

This section offers a review of a book, providing readers with insights into its content and relevance.

The Pipers Tune

This title suggests an article possibly related to folklore, music, or a specific legend associated with the Pipers standing stones.

News and Reviews

These sections would contain shorter updates, announcements, and critical assessments of relevant books, events, or other media.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine consistently promotes an interest in ancient sites, earth energies, paganism, and the mystical aspects of Cornwall's landscape and history. The editorial stance appears to be one of preservation, respect for the land, and exploration of pre-Christian spiritual traditions. There is a strong emphasis on community involvement, as seen with the Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network and the Penwith Pagan Moot. The magazine also showcases personal reflections and research into local folklore and archaeology.

This issue of Meyn Mamvro, number 57, published in Summer 2005, focuses on the theme of 'The Goddess in the Land,' exploring how ancient peoples perceived the landscape as embodying divine feminine forms. The magazine features articles on prehistoric sites, sacred landscapes, and archaeological findings, with a strong emphasis on Cornwall.

The Goddess in the Land: Landscape as Divine Form

The lead article, likely written by Cheryl Straffon, discusses the widespread phenomenon of interpreting natural landscape features as representations of the Earth Mother or a Goddess. Examples are drawn from Scotland, such as the Paps of Jura, where the setting midsummer sun viewed from standing stones aligns with the hills. Ireland provides examples like the Carrowmore chambered cairns aligned to Maeve's Tomb and the Cailleach Stone on the Beara Peninsula facing a breast-shaped hill. Other sites mentioned include Silbury in Wiltshire, Ainthorpe Rigg in Yorkshire, Pennant Melangell in North Wales, and Branwen's Seat in North Wales, all featuring hills or landforms interpreted as breasts or other feminine aspects.

The article then shifts focus to Cornwall, noting its less mountainous terrain but still present 'Goddess' features. The twin hills of Chapel Carn Brea and Bartinney in West Penwith are highlighted as a prime example, resembling two gentle undulating breasts. Bartinney is also identified as the 'hill of fire' where midsummer bonfires were lit. Similar twin hills are found on Bodmin Moor, like Catshole Tor and Codda Tor, and the hills of Buttern Tor and Brea Down viewed from Leskernick Hill hut, forming a twin-breast shape. Single breast-shaped hills are also discussed, including Trevalgan Hill (colloquially Buttermilk Hill) seen from Trendrine Hill burial chamber, and Brea Hill near Padstow. The Cornish word 'Brea' meaning 'breast' reinforces this association.

Beyond just breasts, the article explores interpretations of entire landforms as the 'Sleeping Woman' mountain on the Isle of Lewis, where the Pairc hills form the profile of the 'Old Woman of the Moors.' When viewed from the Callanish stone circle, the moon's path interacts with this landscape, creating a 'megalithic magic' blending astronomy, ritual, and the Goddess.

More recently, such 'Goddess in the Land' figures have been observed in Cornwall, including a figure seen by artist Gabrielle Hawkes in West Penwith and reproduced in her book 'Pagan Cornwall - land of the Goddess.' The Iron Age cliff castle of Tubby's Head offers a viewpoint where St. Agnes Beacon appears as a sleeping woman. Tony Blackman has observed a similar figure on Bodmin Moor formed by Rough Tor, and Howard Balmer has identified a 'Trevose Head Goddess.' The article encourages readers to look for these features and share their findings, aiming to see the landscape through ancestral eyes.

Chapel Carn Brea and the Nanjulian Barrows by Paul Bonnington

This article by archaeologist Paul Bonnington examines the coastal barrows of the St.Just area in West Penwith in relation to Chapel Carn Brea, a prominent hill. The landscape of West Penwith is described as ancient, intact, and rich in myth, with its character shaped by prehistoric communities. The terraced field systems are a visible reminder, but beneath lies a more abstract 'ceremonial landscape' of monuments carefully sited in relation to each other and natural features.

William Copeland Borlase, an antiquarian, described the area in 1881 as having granite outcrops surmounted by burial places and larger mounds on cliffs and hilltops. In 1997, a survey by the National Trust and university students identified seventeen mounds near the cliff edge. Eight were confirmed as Early Bronze Age (EBA) round-cairns, and seven more were identified as probable EBA cairns based on location, size, and morphology. These cairns collectively formed a significant linear coastal barrow group, designed in accordance with Chapel Carn Brea.

The barrows excavated by Borlase in the late 19th century included four small kerbed-cairns, one un-kerbed cairn, and two rarer 'variant' cairns. The kerbed-cairns had 'fist-sized' stone mounds with external retaining walls and internal features like stone-lined cists. The un-kerbed cairn was a simple stone mound. The 'variant cairns' lacked mounds and were essentially 'boundaries' for special deposits, such as a boulder at Carn Creis or pebbles at Carn Leskys. The Carn Leskys monument formed a figure-8 plan, and structures like these are termed 'enclosure barrows.' The cairn at Kenidjack, possibly a ring-cairn, had a kerb of two closely spaced walls with infill.

Of the seven cairns excavated by Borlase, only three yielded definite human burial evidence: one at Mayon and two at Boscregan (Carn Creis and Carn Leskys). These contained single or multiple cremation burials, with Carn Creis having four burials, including a young female or child. These multiple burial mounds are called 'cemetery mounds.' While single burial was often considered the norm for EBA in Wessex, the record in Northern and Western Britain suggests multiple burials were predominant, possibly indicating the continued importance of Neolithic traditions. These cemetery mounds may have represented a powerful 'ancestral body' within the landscape.

Artefacts and Symbolism

Borlase viewed the barrows primarily as graves of 'ancient inhabitants.' However, archaeological evidence suggests that EBA round-mounds often contained no human remains, implying that human remains were not always necessary for the deposition process. The absence of burials in over 45% of Cornish barrows might reflect a lack of access to remains or their symbolic irrelevance in some contexts.

Prestigious artefacts are rare in Cornish barrows, with exceptions like the Rillaton gold cup. The article questions Borlase's view of interred individuals as 'warrior or semi-regal class.' Carn Creis is noted as an exception, yielding twelve 'high status' faience beads, likely from a necklace, found with the cremated remains of a young girl/child. Faience, an early form of glazed material, is rare in Cornwall but common in Wessex barrows, suggesting these beads were highly prized and possibly represented personal property.

Other artefacts from the cairns included Beaker sherds, a Neolithic button, and a leaf-shaped flint arrowhead, which may have been curated family heirlooms or found objects, symbolizing an 'ancestral presence.' A piece of 'green glass' from Carn Creis is compared to tin slag found in the Caerloggas Barrow, suggesting possible ancient tin-working in West Penwith.

Other items found across the cairns included pottery, perforated stones, flint flakes, charcoal, burnt earth, and beach pebbles. These, along with the pots, may have had personal connections to individuals or, more broadly, symbolic meaning within EBA society. Ethnographic evidence suggests that natural objects and by-products of industries can hold symbolic power, representing spirits or ancestors.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The issue consistently explores the intersection of archaeology, landscape interpretation, and ancient belief systems. The central theme is the 'Goddess in the Land,' emphasizing how prehistoric peoples perceived and interacted with their environment, imbuing natural features with spiritual and symbolic significance. The magazine promotes an approach of viewing the landscape through the eyes of ancestors, understanding the 'ceremonial landscape' and the symbolic roles of monuments and artefacts. The editorial stance appears to be one of promoting a deeper, more spiritual understanding of ancient sites and their connection to the natural world, moving beyond purely functional or historical interpretations.

MEYN MAMVRO | 57 | Summer 2005

This issue of Meyn Mamvro focuses on the prehistoric ceremonial landscapes of Cornwall, with a particular emphasis on the West Penwith peninsula and the Trevose Head area. It features articles exploring the distribution and significance of ancient monuments, the interpretation of landscape features through a 'Goddess' lens, and reviews of recent archaeological research and related publications.

Location and Distribution of West Penwith Cairns

The lead article discusses the 15 cairns surveyed in 1997 in West Penwith, situated on or in close association with granite outcrops known as 'carns'. These locations were likely significant to prehistoric communities long before the Early Bronze Age (EBA), evidenced by Mesolithic and Neolithic flint scatters found at sites like Boscregan and Letcha. The EBA communities would have recognized this ancestral association, adding symbolic significance and perceived power to these sites. The cairns were often incorporated into the structure of the outcrops, with Carn Creis being a prime example. The surveyed barrows formed a linear group, including smaller cairns at Nanjizal, Ballowall, and Cape Cornwall, and were arranged in discreet clusters. Some cairns were visually prominent, while others were concealed using natural features, suggesting a deliberate design for creating visual pathways within a ceremonial landscape, potentially controlling movement through it, as suggested by Tilley (1995).

A key argument is that all these cairns were sited to be visually connected to Chapel Carn Brea, which is proposed as the primary focus of the local ceremonial landscape. This is supported by its ancestral associations, the presence of significant monuments (including Britain's most western Neolithic long-cairn and Penwith's largest EBA barrow), and the visual relationship most surrounding sites have with it. The 1997 survey confirmed that even minor positional shifts would render the hill invisible to many cairns, underscoring Chapel Carn Brea's cultural importance and the complex, massive scale on which West Penwith's EBA communities designed their ceremonial landscapes.

The Trevose Goddess

Another significant section explores the concept of the 'Trevose Goddess', focusing on the Trevose Head area in North Cornwall. Howard Balmer, author of the booklet 'Stone to Rock, River to Sea', discusses his exploration of this prehistoric ceremonial landscape. He notes the density of barrows in the area, rivaling that of the Ridgeway near Avebury, though many have been lost to ploughing. Balmer posits that the natural landscape feature of Trevose Head was of immense importance during prehistory, appearing as a significant feature from most ceremonial sites in the area. He was struck by its anthropomorphic outline, drawing a parallel with the Callanish stones on the Isle of Lewis, where a distant hill formation resembles a woman lying down, and the landscape is interpreted as a lunar observatory. Balmer suggests that the Trevose headland's shape became more tangible as an integral part of the ancient monumental landscape.

The Trevose area was also a vital source of Stone Age flints, with flint-like chert believed to have washed in from undersea deposits. The numerous flint scatters indicate significant Mesolithic activity. Combined with the headland's anthropomorphic shape, this made Trevose a crucial feature for pre-monumental culture, which acknowledged a Goddess whose body was the earth, potentially seeing Trevose as a manifestation of this deity. During the Neolithic and Bronze Age, a quarry on the eastern side of the headland produced axe heads found across southern England, and it's suggested that the golden lunulae found at Harlyn may have arrived from Ireland due to trade inspired by this stone harvest. The megalithic culture that raised monuments also considered Trevose a significant feature, suggesting its continued importance throughout the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The headland is described as a place of dramatic elemental beauty, with two Bronze Age barrows once on its slopes. The surviving barrow appears as an 'eye' in the figure's head, a motif associated with Goddess worship. The article concludes that Trevose was an integral part of the prehistoric ceremonial landscape.

Book Review: Stone to Rock, River to Sea

A review of Howard Balmer's 74-page booklet, 'Stone to Rock, River to Sea', highlights its value as a locally-based research work on ancient sites in the Padstow area. The reviewer praises Balmer's intimate knowledge of the region and his consideration of the 'Cult of the Goddess' and 'alternative archaeology'. The booklet covers various monument classes, discusses 'earth energies' and 'holy hilltops', and interprets Trevose Head's symbolism as a reclining figure representing abundance and burial rites. The review notes that while the interpretation may be debated, the guide to sites, descriptions, and photographs are excellent. It emphasizes the book's evocative descriptions of locales, archaeological information, and potential alignments, and its discussion of 'ceremonial routes'. The book is recommended for lovers of Cornish ancient sites.

The Pipers Tune: Cornish Archaeology Volume 39-40

This section reviews the new volume of Cornish Archaeology (nos. 39-40, 2000-1), highlighting several articles of interest. These include a 'reconsideration' of Roman Nornour, reinforcing its interpretation as a cult shrine to a maritime Goddess; a report on the Time Team excavation at Boleigh fogou; and an article by Peter Rose on 'Shadows in the imagination: encounters with caves in Cornwall'. Rose's article examines the uses of caves in Cornwall from prehistoric times to the present, including a gazetteer of caves and their locations, mentioning Holywell Cave and Merlin's Cave, as well as Crane Carrick Crag and a rock outcrop at Garrow.

The review also touches upon the Channel 4 series 'Extreme Archaeology', which featured Tintagel Headland. Professor Charles Thomas discussed the excavation of the 11-acre site, focusing on three locations: the north side of the headland (yielding 6thC CE pottery, possibly amphorae from the Greek Islands, supporting interpretation as a royal residence/citadel), the base of the site (finding links to 19thC slate mining rather than a jetty), and the south terrace (where resistivity surveys and pottery suggested a major stronghold during the early Christian period, with evidence of 5thC Cornish ware and 6thC imported Mediterranean ware).

Peter Rose's open-minded approach to caves as 'portals to the other world' and entrances into the 'womb of Mother Earth' is commended, citing his suggestion that St. Agnes Chapel & well may have been established at an older pagan cult site. The volume is praised as a fine example of good archaeological research.

Exchange Magazines and Back Numbers

This section provides a list of magazines available for exchange or subscription, including their prices and website details. Titles cover a range of topics such as earth mysteries, paganism, folklore, Arthurian legends, and Celtic connections. It also details how to order back numbers of Meyn Mamvro, including photocopies and content lists.

Noticeboard

The Noticeboard section lists upcoming events and activities for Summer 2005, categorized into: Beltane Celebrations, Cornish Earth Mysteries (including coastal barrows and sacred sites walks), Summer Celebrations (Midsummer Eve bonfires, Mazey Day), Earth, Health & Mystic Fayres, Mind, Body & Spirit Events, and various Pagan Moots (Penzance, Earth Moot, Redruth/Camborne, Bodmin, St. Columb, Tintagel, Bude). Contact details and websites are provided for each event or group.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around the interpretation of the Cornish landscape as imbued with deep historical and spiritual significance, particularly from prehistoric periods. There is a strong focus on megalithic monuments (cairns and barrows) and their placement within ceremonial landscapes, suggesting a complex understanding of cosmology and ritual by ancient communities. The concept of the 'Goddess' is a prominent theme, both in relation to landscape features like Trevose Head and as a potential focus of ancient cults. The magazine also promotes archaeological research, encourages engagement with local history and traditions, and serves as a hub for information on pagan and earth mystery events and publications. The editorial stance appears to be one that values in-depth, locally-based research, encourages a holistic view of landscape and monument, and supports the continuation of ancient traditions and beliefs through contemporary practices and events.