Caer Bran
Encyclopedia
Caer Bran Hill Fort is an archaeological site near Sancreed
and Carn Euny
Iron Age
village, on the Penwith
peninsula in Cornwall
.
It is a popular location for walkers and antiquarians because it commands a stunning 360 degree panorama of the entire Penwith peninsula which probably accounts for its defensive importance.
The site consists of an Iron Age
hill fort
which originally included a circular stone-lined inner wall twelve feet thick enclosing a space 200 feet in diameter. Surrounding this was a ditch forty-five feet wide and seven feet deep, an earthen rampart fifteen feet high with stone revetment and a slight counterscarp outer bank. There are remnants of a stone-lined causeway over the ditch at the original entrance to the North West adjacent to the ancient trackway linking Penzance
with Land's End
. In the centre are the remains of a large circular stone building about fifty feet in diameter.
There are several Bronze Age
ring cairns within the outer ramparts according to a Cornwall Archaeological Unit Survey.
Most of the original stonework was robbed for building purposes during the nineteenth century.
The fort was probably built to protect locally mined metals in particular tin, copper and silver before transportation to nearby ports in Mount's Bay or the Hayle estuary. It overlooked at least three Iron Age settlements within a half mile radius.
The name derives from Caer
the Cornish word for fortress and the name Bran means "Raven
" or Crow. The association with Bran probably relates to the nearby village of Brane, a corruption of Boswran or Bos-vran 'the house of Bran'. This may be the same Bran the Blessed
from the Mabinogion
in Welsh folklore, a giant
and King of Britain with parallels to the Fisher King
, the keeper of the Holy Grail
in Arthurian legend who lived at a castle called Corbenic
which is similar to Corben the old French word for Crow. Local legends may support this theory considering Joseph of Arimathea
's journeys to Cornwall as a tin trader who may well have travelled to the Lands End area after the death of Jesus on his way to Glastonbury where he is reputed to have established the first Christian church. The symbolism of the Holy Grail and the resurrection of Jesus certainly appears to echo the story of Bran's cauldron that could restore life to dead warriors in the Mabinogion.
In Cornish folklore
the name Bran is associated with the Men Scryfa granite pillar which contains the inscription 'rialobrani cunovali fili' which means 'royal raven glorious prince'. An invader attacked the glorious prince and occupied a hill fort at Penzance driving Bran back to his hill fort at Caer Bran. A battle was fought and Bran was killed possibly on his way to Chun Castle
and a stone was erected at the site which was said to correspond to the height of the dead warrior.
In local legend Caer Bran was said to be a sanctuary
from evil spirits and the abode of the Pobble Vean (Cornish: Little people) or faeries.
Sancreed
Sancreed is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village is situated approximately three miles from Penzance....
and Carn Euny
Carn Euny
Carn Euny is an archaeological site near Sancreed, on the Penwith peninsula in Cornwall, United Kingdom with considerable evidence of both Iron Age and post-Iron Age settlement. Excavations on this site have shown that there was activity at Carn Euny as early as the Neolithic period...
Iron Age
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, on the Penwith
Penwith
Penwith was a local government district in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, whose council was based in Penzance. The district covered all of the Penwith peninsula, the toe-like promontory of land at the western end of Cornwall and which included an area of land to the east that fell outside the...
peninsula 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...
.
It is a popular location for walkers and antiquarians because it commands a stunning 360 degree panorama of the entire Penwith peninsula which probably accounts for its defensive importance.
The site consists of an Iron Age
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...
hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
which originally included a circular stone-lined inner wall twelve feet thick enclosing a space 200 feet in diameter. Surrounding this was a ditch forty-five feet wide and seven feet deep, an earthen rampart fifteen feet high with stone revetment and a slight counterscarp outer bank. There are remnants of a stone-lined causeway over the ditch at the original entrance to the North West adjacent to the ancient trackway linking 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...
with Land's End
Land's End
Land's End is a headland and small settlement in west Cornwall, England, within the United Kingdom. It is located on the Penwith peninsula approximately eight miles west-southwest of Penzance....
. In the centre are the remains of a large circular stone building about fifty feet in diameter.
There are several Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
ring cairns within the outer ramparts according to a Cornwall Archaeological Unit Survey.
Most of the original stonework was robbed for building purposes during the nineteenth century.
The fort was probably built to protect locally mined metals in particular tin, copper and silver before transportation to nearby ports in Mount's Bay or the Hayle estuary. It overlooked at least three Iron Age settlements within a half mile radius.
The name derives from Caer
Caer
In the Welsh language, caer means "fortress", "fort" or "citadel"/"castle".Caer is the Welsh name for the city of Chester, situated in northwest England. It also forms, as a prefix, the Welsh equivalent of -caster, -cester and -chester in place names...
the Cornish word for fortress and the name Bran means "Raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
" or Crow. The association with Bran probably relates to the nearby village of Brane, a corruption of Boswran or Bos-vran 'the house of Bran'. This may be the same Bran the Blessed
Bran the Blessed
Brân the Blessed is a giant and king of Britain in Welsh mythology. He appears in several of the Welsh Triads, but his most significant role is in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, Branwen ferch Llŷr. He is a son of Llŷr and Penarddun, and the brother of Brânwen, Manawydan, Nisien and Efnysien...
from the Mabinogion
Mabinogion
The Mabinogion is the title given to a collection of eleven prose stories collated from medieval Welsh manuscripts. The tales draw on pre-Christian Celtic mythology, international folktale motifs, and early medieval historical traditions...
in Welsh folklore, a giant
Giant (mythology)
The mythology and legends of many different cultures include monsters of human appearance but prodigious size and strength. "Giant" is the English word commonly used for such beings, derived from one of the most famed examples: the gigantes of Greek mythology.In various Indo-European mythologies,...
and King of Britain with parallels to the Fisher King
Fisher King
The Fisher King, or the Wounded King, figures in Arthurian legend as the latest in a line charged with keeping the Holy Grail. Versions of his story vary widely, but he is always wounded in the legs or groin, and incapable of moving on his own...
, the keeper of the Holy Grail
Holy Grail
The Holy Grail is a sacred object figuring in literature and certain Christian traditions, most often identified with the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper and said to possess miraculous powers...
in Arthurian legend who lived at a castle called Corbenic
Corbenic
Corbenic , Carboneck , or Corbin is the name of the castle of the Holy Grail in the Lancelot-Grail cycle and Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur...
which is similar to Corben the old French word for Crow. Local legends may support this theory considering Joseph of Arimathea
Joseph of Arimathea
Joseph of Arimathea was, according to the Gospels, the man who donated his own prepared tomb for the burial of Jesus after Jesus' Crucifixion. He is mentioned in all four Gospels.-Gospel references:...
's journeys to Cornwall as a tin trader who may well have travelled to the Lands End area after the death of Jesus on his way to Glastonbury where he is reputed to have established the first Christian church. The symbolism of the Holy Grail and the resurrection of Jesus certainly appears to echo the story of Bran's cauldron that could restore life to dead warriors in the Mabinogion.
In Cornish folklore
Cornish folklore
Cornish folklore is the folk tradition which has developed in Cornwall. There is much traditional folklore in Cornwall, often tales of giants, mermaids, Bucca, piskies or the 'pobel vean' These are still surprisingly popular today, with many events hosting a 'droll teller' to tell the stories:...
the name Bran is associated with the Men Scryfa granite pillar which contains the inscription 'rialobrani cunovali fili' which means 'royal raven glorious prince'. An invader attacked the glorious prince and occupied a hill fort at Penzance driving Bran back to his hill fort at Caer Bran. A battle was fought and Bran was killed possibly on his way to Chun Castle
Chûn Castle
Chûn Castle is a large Iron Age hillfort near Penzance in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The fort was built around two and a half thousand years ago, and fell into disuse until the 6th century AD when it was possibly reoccupied to protect the nearby tin mines. It stands beside a prehistoric trackway...
and a stone was erected at the site which was said to correspond to the height of the dead warrior.
In local legend Caer Bran was said to be a sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
from evil spirits and the abode of the Pobble Vean (Cornish: Little people) or faeries.
Landmarks
- Carn EunyCarn EunyCarn Euny is an archaeological site near Sancreed, on the Penwith peninsula in Cornwall, United Kingdom with considerable evidence of both Iron Age and post-Iron Age settlement. Excavations on this site have shown that there was activity at Carn Euny as early as the Neolithic period...
Iron Age Village and fogouFogouA fogou or fougou is an underground, dry-stone structure found on Iron Age or Romano-British defended settlement sites in Cornwall. Fogous have similarities with souterrains or earth-houses of northern Europe and particularly Scotland including the Orkney Islands...
is about half a mile to the west. - Bartinney CastleBartinney Castle.Bartinney Castle is an Iron Age enclosure located in the Penwith Peninsula of South West Cornwall, it is surrounded by a circular earthworks standing on a hill surrounded by various archaeological prehistoric remains including ancient settlements, field systems, tumuli and Cairns.One mile to the...
is an Iron Age Enclosure 1 mile to the west. - Sancreed BeaconSancreed BeaconSancreed Beacon is a Bronze Age archaeological site near the village of Sancreed in the Penwith peninsula of Cornwall maintained by the Cornwall Heritage Trust...
is to the North East about half a mile.
External links
- http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=19351 The megalithic portal
- http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/3512 The Modern Antiquarian
- http://www.oliverscornwall.co.uk/antiquities.html#Bran