Tregiffian Burial Chamber
Encyclopedia
The Tregiffian Burial Chamber is a Neolithic
or early Bronze age
chambered tomb. An entrance passage, lined with stone slabs, leads into a central chamber. It is located near Lamorna
in west Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. It is a rare form of a passage grave, known as an Entrance grave
. This type of site is also typical in the neighbouring Isles of Scilly
.
in the District of Penwith
south of Penzance
between St Buryan
and Lamorna
. It lies close to The Merry Maidens
stone circle. The site is managed by the Cornwall Heritage Trust on behalf of English Heritage
.
, for the most part covered with soil, with only the entrance exposed. From the edge of the site a passage, covered by four 3 m long stones, led to the 4-meter deep grave chamber. In front of the chamber, a cross-lying ornate stone, with cup-and-ring markings
, formed a barrier. The original stone is in Truro
, in the Royal Cornwall Museum
, the local stone is a replica. Inside the tomb there was the chamber grave, which consisted of upright stones and a cover slab. Tregiffian probably formed a holy place with the Merry Maidens and other sites.
carried out the first excavations on the grave. He first discovered the stone edge of the cover and found flints, bones and ashes. During deeper excavations Borlase discovered pits with bone remains, which suggested cremation. In 1932 Hencken noted for the first time that it was probably a variant of a Megalithic grave and placed this grave type temporally between the dolmen
and the cist
type. Newer research recognized passage tombs as a variant of the dolmen type, notable particularly by the entrance to the interior. Urns were discovered in comprehensive excavations in the years 1968 and 1972, and the contents were dated to roughly 1900 BC. The occurrence of these two forms of burial is typical of an Entrance grave
and suggests its use as a community grave for a long period of time.
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
or early 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...
chambered tomb. An entrance passage, lined with stone slabs, leads into a central chamber. It is located near Lamorna
Lamorna
Lamorna is a fishing village and cove in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Penwith peninsula approximately four miles south of Penzance.-Newlyn School of Art and the Lamorna Colony:...
in west 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...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It is a rare form of a passage grave, known as an Entrance grave
Entrance grave
Entrance grave is a term given by archaeologists to a type of megalithic chamber tomb found in parts of Atlantic Europe, dating the early to middle Bronze Age....
. This type of site is also typical in the neighbouring Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
.
Location
Tregiffian is in southwest CornwallCornwall
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...
in the District of 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...
south 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...
between St Buryan
St Buryan
St Buryan is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom.The village of St Buryan is situated approximately five miles west of Penzance along the B3283 towards Land's End...
and Lamorna
Lamorna
Lamorna is a fishing village and cove in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated on the Penwith peninsula approximately four miles south of Penzance.-Newlyn School of Art and the Lamorna Colony:...
. It lies close to The Merry Maidens
The Merry Maidens
The Merry Maidens , also known as Dawn's Men is a late neolithic stone circle located 2 miles to the south of the village of St Buryan, in Cornwall, United Kingdom....
stone circle. The site is managed by the Cornwall Heritage Trust on behalf of English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
.
Construction
The large stone grave, half of which was covered by a road in 1846, was, unlike Cornish quoitsDolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
, for the most part covered with soil, with only the entrance exposed. From the edge of the site a passage, covered by four 3 m long stones, led to the 4-meter deep grave chamber. In front of the chamber, a cross-lying ornate stone, with cup-and-ring markings
Cup and ring mark
Cup and ring marks or cup marks are a form of prehistoric art found mainly in Atlantic Europe and Mediterranean Europe although similar forms are also found throughout the world including Mexico, Brazil, Greece, and India, where...
, formed a barrier. The original stone is in 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...
, in the Royal Cornwall Museum
Royal 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...
, the local stone is a replica. Inside the tomb there was the chamber grave, which consisted of upright stones and a cover slab. Tregiffian probably formed a holy place with the Merry Maidens and other sites.
Excavations
In 1871 William Copeland BorlaseWilliam Copeland Borlase
William Copeland Borlase FSA was an antiquarian and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 until 1887 when he was ruined by bankruptcy and scandal....
carried out the first excavations on the grave. He first discovered the stone edge of the cover and found flints, bones and ashes. During deeper excavations Borlase discovered pits with bone remains, which suggested cremation. In 1932 Hencken noted for the first time that it was probably a variant of a Megalithic grave and placed this grave type temporally between the dolmen
Dolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
and the cist
Cist
A cist from ) is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Examples can be found across Europe and in the Middle East....
type. Newer research recognized passage tombs as a variant of the dolmen type, notable particularly by the entrance to the interior. Urns were discovered in comprehensive excavations in the years 1968 and 1972, and the contents were dated to roughly 1900 BC. The occurrence of these two forms of burial is typical of an Entrance grave
Entrance grave
Entrance grave is a term given by archaeologists to a type of megalithic chamber tomb found in parts of Atlantic Europe, dating the early to middle Bronze Age....
and suggests its use as a community grave for a long period of time.