Well, blow me down! Bing Maps has recently put up some new imagery of North Pembs, showing a winter landscape with a low sun.
In the centre of this image is the Cot Llwyd "roundhouse" -- with a diameter of about 10m. It's on the edge of the common, on the northern slope of Carningli. Generally this is assumed to be one of the better preserved of the Bronze age dwelling sites in this area. Grid ref: SN056380.
I have never seen this before, on other satellite images, but suddenly we can see that there is a much bigger circular structure, with the roundhouse in the middle. I estimate that the diameter of the big circle is about 70m. The shape is that of a reversed capital D -- very strange. Maybe the planned circular feature was not completed, and was finished off later with a straight wall on its eastern flank? Was it a henge? There does not seem to be an associated ditch either outside or inside the wall or embankment.
There is another mysterious uncompleted feature near Carn Llwyd, maybe 500m to the east. There is a curving section of ditch and embankment about 50m long. That looks as if it might have started off as an ambitious project for a circular feature with a diameter of at least 200m. That's truly enormous. The bank section is in the centre of this image:
Are these areas curently clear of vegetation? Are they clear as is mostly the case in the second view. Will the bracken die down in the winter. Could be target for a little survey early next year.
ReplyDeleteDave
Yes Dave -- the bracken dies down in the winter. There is a lot of gorse too -- that's more of a problem. I'm not sure whether there was any burning last winter -- I'll go up one of these days and check how clear the site is......
ReplyDeleteThe D shaped enclosure in the first image is absolutely not a henge monument, of any type or classification.
ReplyDeleteMy guess, from the image alone, would be late prehistoric.
.... unless it was started and never finished, then tidied up by somebody else, long after.........
ReplyDeleteThings were not always completed, then as now......
Hi Brian. Great to meet up lat week. Is there an historical reason for using the phrase "Angel Mountain"?
ReplyDeleteThere is a D shaped enclosure in Swaledale that abuts an earlier co axial field boundary.This too is thought to enclose a roundhouse,Burnt mounds can usually be found in the surrounding area.Do you know if there is an excavation report for the roundhouse?
ReplyDeleteJon -- yes, Angel Mountain is thought to be the most accurate translation of "Carn Ingli" -- the rocky crag of the angels. In old Welsh there were various versions of Engyll - corrupted into Ingyll or Ingli. The tradition probably comes from the Life of St Brynach (our local saint) who lived around 450 AD and who has his monastic communuty at Nevern. According to tradition, he would go to the top of Carningli to commune with the angels. On the other hand, some academics think that the original name was Caer Ingli -- the fort of a chieftain called Ingli. And there is indeed a very spectacular fortified settlement site on and around the summit. Assumed Iron Age, but maybe older. Some of this is in the Wikipedia entry.
ReplyDeleteThanks Brian
ReplyDeleteI was staying in Nevern, Chris mentioned I should take a look up on Castle Hill, but didn't end up having enough time: Didn't even manage to get over to the areas that the archaeos are looking at.
Maybe a question for Chris, but What is the tradition about a rod out for the late sewyn?