34 



Y.—Some Account of the Discovery of a Gold Cup in a Barrow in 

 CormvaU, A.D. 1837. — By Edward Smirke, Vice-Warden of 

 the Stannaries.''^ 



IT gives me great pleasure to avail myself of tlie gracious per- 

 mission of Her Majesty, and of His Eoyal Highness the Duke 

 of Cornwall, to submit to the inspection of this Society a remark- 

 able cup of gold which was disinterred from a barrow or tumulus 

 of earth, as long ago as the spring of 1837, on the waste of the 

 Duchy manor of Eillaton, in Cornwall. 



I have a perfect recollection of the discovery, havuig been at 

 that time in frequent communication with certain officers of the 

 Duchy, who kindly described to me the circumstances under which 

 the cup was found. 



I have since also personally received from one of those officers, 

 Mr. George Freeth, of Duporth, in Cornwall, a full confirmation, 

 from his own knowledge, of the contemporaneous statement 

 of the then mineral agent of the Duchy, Mr. Colenso, who was 

 instructed by the late auditor. Sir George Harrison, to make 

 careful incj[uiries on the spot and to embody the result in a written 

 statement of facts. 



The information so obtained is entirely worthy of reliance. 

 It was contained in three letters written on the 10th, 19th, and 

 20th of May, 1837, of which this paper may be taken as a fair 

 abstract. 



Shortly before that time, some labourers, in search of stone 

 for building an engine-house on a mine on the manor, thought 

 they could more easily obtain some from a large mound of earth 

 and stones which had been standing from time immemorial, with 

 three others, on a part of the moor about half a mile from the 

 well-known masses of granite locally called the " Cheese- wring." 



The mound or barrow was about thirty yards in diameter. 



*Eeprinted from the Arclueological Journal, by permission of the Eoyal 

 Archseological Institute. 



