Scheduled MonumentsEnglandPolwhele Castle: a round with hut circle and field system 160m south west of Higher Tregurra

Polwhele Castle: a round with hut circle and field system 160m south west of Higher Tregurra

England
List entry 1020800
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1020800
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
1.92 hectares
Grid reference
SW 83680 46311
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Polwhele Castle is a prehistoric round, a circular earthwork settlement characteristic of Iron Age Cornwall. Located 160 metres south-west of Higher Tregurra near Mabe in Cornwall, the site comprises a substantial circular bank with an associated hut circle and field system, representing a domestic settlement rather than a military fortification despite its designation as a castle, a nomenclature common in Cornwall for prehistoric enclosed settlements. The monument is protected as a scheduled ancient monument and listed on the National Heritage List for England under entry number 1020800. The surviving earthworks demonstrate the layout of an Iron Age settlement and its contemporary agricultural organisation, though specific dating and phasing of the site remain dependent upon detailed archaeological investigation.

Polwhele Castle: a round with hut circle and field system 160m south west of Higher Tregurra is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1020800. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Polwhele Castle: a round with hut circle and field system 160m south west of Higher Tregurra?

Polwhele Castle is a prehistoric round, a circular earthwork settlement characteristic of Iron Age Cornwall. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1020800.

Who is responsible for protecting Polwhele Castle: a round with hut circle and field system 160m south west of Higher Tregurra?

Polwhele Castle: a round with hut circle and field system 160m south west of Higher Tregurra 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 1020800.

What other scheduled monuments are near Polwhele Castle: a round with hut circle and field system 160m south west of Higher Tregurra?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Standing cross 300m south east of Trelissick (7 km), Round 310m north of Carlannick (7 km), Round barrow 400m east of Parkwood Hill (7.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Polwhele Castle: a round with hut circle and field system 160m south west of Higher Tregurra

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Polwhele Castle: a round with hut circle and field system 160m south west of Higher Tregurra'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Polwhele Castle: a round with hut circle and field system 160m south west of Higher Tregurra

Polwhele Castle: a round with hut circle and field system 160m south west of Higher Tregurra stands on Middle Devonian (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Middle Devonian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Polwhele Castle: a round with hut circle and field system 160m south west of Higher Tregurra

Battle of Lostwithiel 31 August - 1 September 1644Battle (1644) · ~17.5 milesBattle of Lostwithiel 21 August 1644Battle (1644) · ~19.7 miles