Scheduled Monuments›England›Cliff castle on Rosemullion Head

Cliff castle on Rosemullion Head

England
List entry 1004272
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1004272
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
2.18 hectares
Grid reference
SW 79667 27872
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Cliff Castle is a Cornish coastal promontory fort situated on Rosemullion Head near Falmouth. The site is an Iron Age fortification, characterized by defensive earthworks comprising banks and ditches that cut across the headland to create an enclosed defensive position. The fort exemplifies the strategic use of natural coastal topography in prehistoric Cornwall, with its cliff-edge location providing natural defensive advantages on three sides. The monument remains an important archaeological record of Iron Age settlement and territorial control in the region.

Cliff castle on Rosemullion Head is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1004272. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cliff castle on Rosemullion Head?

Cliff Castle is a Cornish coastal promontory fort situated on Rosemullion Head near Falmouth. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1004272.

Who is responsible for protecting Cliff castle on Rosemullion Head?

Cliff castle on Rosemullion Head is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1004272.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cliff castle on Rosemullion Head?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Two round barrows 700yds (640m) NNE of Penhallick Farm (9.3 km), Hut circle with associated field system 300yds (270m) NW of Polcoverack (9.3 km), Hut circle on Crousa Downs 650yds (600m) S of 'Three Brothers of Grugwith' (9.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Cliff castle on Rosemullion Head

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Cliff castle on Rosemullion Head's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Two round barrows 700yds (640m) NNE of Penhallick Farm
9.3 km
Hut circle with associated field system 300yds (270m) NW of Polcoverack
9.3 km
Hut circle on Crousa Downs 650yds (600m) S of 'Three Brothers of Grugwith'
9.5 km
Two bowl barrows 200m north west of Fox Covert, forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Goonhilly Downs
10 km
Bowl barrow 550m south east of Croft Pascoe Pool forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Goonhilly Downs
10.5 km
Earthwork SE of Trelan Plantation
10.6 km
Bowl barrow 300m south west of Croft Pascoe Pool forming part of a round barrow cemetery on Goonhilly Downs
10.6 km
Animal pound 390m south of Croft Pascoe Pool
10.7 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Cliff castle on Rosemullion Head

Cliff castle on Rosemullion Head stands on Middle Devonian (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

Domesday entry for Trewarnevas, Cornwall →
All Scheduled Monuments