Bodrifty
Encyclopedia
Bodrifty is the modern name of an Iron Age
village, now in ruins, in Cornwall
, England, United Kingdom. It is 700 yards west of Mulfra Hill in Penwith District, 3 miles northwest of Penzance
and 1.5 miles southwest of Porthmeor, on the high ground of the watershed between the Atlantic and the English Channel. Today the settlement is barely more than a farm within the boundary of the village of New Mill
, just north of Boskednan
.
dates Bodrifty as far back as the seventh century BC, but James Dyer
has claimed that Bodrifty began as an open settlement in the fourth century BC.
During the Iron Age, Bodrifty was inhabited by peasants who lived in round huts and cultivated small fields in the area. The settlement thrived between the fifth and second centuries BC, and Pytheas
, the Greek geographer and explorer, is said to have visited Bodrifty on his travels in the 320s BC.
, Truro
. An analysis of the styles of pottery suggests that Bodrifty was inhabited from the fifth century BC to the first or second century AD. The settlement consisted of eight structures surrounded by a stone wall enclosing about three acres. The structures themselves had internal diameters of between three and eight meters. It is possible that the name means "the house by the summer shed" in Cornish
.
at Bodrifty Farm after receiving a small grant. The task of building the replica required the shifting of granite rocks weighing several tons, felling, shaping and lashing hundreds of feet of timber, and hundreds of hours' work cutting reeds for the roof. Mustill had previously researched typical roundhouse architectural structure and surveyed other reconstructions in Cornwall. Traditional rab (granite sub soil) was used for the mortar and woods such as oak
, ash
, holly
and haze
l for the roof. Mustill was keen for the house to be showcased as an educational aid for local children and others interested in history and archaeology, and hoped it would become a registered charity, though as of August 2011 it was being used for "luxury camping".
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
village, now in ruins, in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, England, United Kingdom. It is 700 yards west of Mulfra Hill in Penwith District, 3 miles northwest of Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
and 1.5 miles southwest of Porthmeor, on the high ground of the watershed between the Atlantic and the English Channel. Today the settlement is barely more than a farm within the boundary of the village of New Mill
New Mill, Cornwall
New Mill is a small settlement in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately two miles north of Penzance. The area includes the hamlets of Boskednan and Bodrifty, a former Iron Age settlement....
, just north of Boskednan
Boskednan
Boskednan is a hamlet in west Cornwall, United Kingdom....
.
History
Professor Tim DarvillTim Darvill
Timothy Darvill is an English archaeologist and author, best known for his publications on prehistoric Britain and his excavations in England, Wales, and the Isle of Man. He is Professor of Archaeology in the School of Applied Sciences at Bournemouth University in England. Timothy Darvill is...
dates Bodrifty as far back as the seventh century BC, but James Dyer
James Dyer
Sir James Dyer was a judge and Speaker of the House of Commons during the reign of Edward VI of England.Dyer was knighted at Whitehall on 9 April 1553, Strand Inn, preparatory 1520s, Middle Temple abt. 1530, called to the bar 1537?, bencher 1540s, serjeant-at-law 17 Oct...
has claimed that Bodrifty began as an open settlement in the fourth century BC.
During the Iron Age, Bodrifty was inhabited by peasants who lived in round huts and cultivated small fields in the area. The settlement thrived between the fifth and second centuries BC, and Pytheas
Pytheas
Pytheas of Massalia or Massilia , was a Greek geographer and explorer from the Greek colony, Massalia . He made a voyage of exploration to northwestern Europe at about 325 BC. He travelled around and visited a considerable part of Great Britain...
, the Greek geographer and explorer, is said to have visited Bodrifty on his travels in the 320s BC.
Archaeology
The site is archaeologically significant in part because of the wide range of pottery shards discovered there. It was excavated extensively in the early 1950s and most of the finds are in the Royal Cornwall MuseumRoyal Cornwall Museum
The Royal Cornwall Museum is a museum in the city of Truro, Cornwall, England. It is the oldest museum in Cornwall and the leading museum of Cornish culture. Its exhibits include minerals, an unwrapped mummy and objects relating to Cornwall’s unique culture...
, Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
. An analysis of the styles of pottery suggests that Bodrifty was inhabited from the fifth century BC to the first or second century AD. The settlement consisted of eight structures surrounded by a stone wall enclosing about three acres. The structures themselves had internal diameters of between three and eight meters. It is possible that the name means "the house by the summer shed" in Cornish
Cornish language
Cornish is a Brythonic Celtic language and a recognised minority language of the United Kingdom. Along with Welsh and Breton, it is directly descended from the ancient British language spoken throughout much of Britain before the English language came to dominate...
.
Replica roundhouse
In 1999 Fred Mustill, a local smallholder, built a reconstruction of a roundhouseRoundhouse (dwelling)
The roundhouse is a type of house with a circular plan, originally built in western Europe before the Roman occupation using walls made either of stone or of wooden posts joined by wattle-and-daub panels and a conical thatched roof. Roundhouses ranged in size from less than 5m in diameter to over 15m...
at Bodrifty Farm after receiving a small grant. The task of building the replica required the shifting of granite rocks weighing several tons, felling, shaping and lashing hundreds of feet of timber, and hundreds of hours' work cutting reeds for the roof. Mustill had previously researched typical roundhouse architectural structure and surveyed other reconstructions in Cornwall. Traditional rab (granite sub soil) was used for the mortar and woods such as oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, ash
Ash
- Products of fire, incineration or combustion :The solid remains of fires, such as:* Ash , the compounds that remain after a scientific sample is burned; commonly reported as a percentage on pet food labels...
, holly
Holly
Ilex) is a genus of 400 to 600 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. The species are evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs, and climbers from tropics to temperate zones world wide....
and haze
Haze
Haze is traditionally an atmospheric phenomenon where dust, smoke and other dry particles obscure the clarity of the sky. The World Meteorological Organization manual of codes includes a classification of horizontal obscuration into categories of fog, ice fog, steam fog, mist, haze, smoke, volcanic...
l for the roof. Mustill was keen for the house to be showcased as an educational aid for local children and others interested in history and archaeology, and hoped it would become a registered charity, though as of August 2011 it was being used for "luxury camping".