73 



AN EXPLORATION OF TREGAER ROUNDS. 



By Rev. S. BARING GOULD, ROBERT BURNARD, Rev. J. K. ANDERSON, 

 AND J. D. ENYS. 



This camj") is situated between Tregaer Farm-house and the 

 main road leading from Wadebridge to Camelford, about one 

 mile nortli of Port Isaac Road station, in the parish of St. Kew, 

 Cornwall. 



It is labelled Dameliock Castle by the Ordnance surveyors 

 on the strength of statements in D. Gilbert's and Polwhele's 

 histories of Cornwall. 



In the former woi'k (under St. Tudy) it is stated that "in 

 this parish, as I take it, or St. Kew, is still to be seen the ruins 

 of a once famous and treble intrenchment of our ancestors, the 

 Britains, called Dameliock Castle and taxed by the name of 

 Dimelihoc in the Domesday Book, 1087." ^ 



In Polwhele's History the reference is as follows : " Gothlois 

 being then at his chief palace and castle of Caer-Isca (Exeter) 

 quitted the same upon their approach with his army and 

 returned with the lady and posted themselves in this Castle of 

 Dumdagell, where he left his Duchess, himself retiring to 

 Dameliock Castle, now in St. Udye or St. Kew.- 



The story of Gothlois (or, as he is properly called, Gorlois) 

 is found in Geoffery of Monmouth's History of the Britons and, 

 in brief, is as follows: — He was Duke of Cornwall and was 

 besieged in Damelioc by Uthyr Pendragon. — Whilst he was 

 there shut in Uthyr went to Tintagel and, assuming the 

 appearance of Gorlois by the assistance of Merlin, introduced 

 himself to the castle and Igerna, wife of Gorlois, and by her 

 became the father of King Arthur.— Geoffery of Monmouth, 

 Historiu Rt'cjum Britannicc, ni/., c. 10.) 



1 Vol. IV. p. 94. C. vS. Gilbert (Vol I., p. 205), says "obviously once a Danish 

 fortification." (!) 



2 Polwhele, p. 135, note Hals. 



