242 RECENT ARCH^OLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN CORNWALL. 



quarters of an arniy. " Dimittere cohortes in eestiva," " Perdu- 

 cere sestiva in mensem Decembrem," are phrases met with in 

 writings of the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. ; and such castra 

 gestiva in mild West Britain would probably suffice for the 

 control of a district all the year round. 



Borlase, judging by the remains, inferred that this camp, of 

 Gurlyn-Bossens, was occupied by a fixed garrison,* and he found 

 his view strengthened by observing not only its central position 

 between Marazion and Hayle, to which we have already alluded, 

 but its being situate on a line leading directly from Truro to 

 Mount's Bay and the Land's End, and at a spot well calculated 

 to influence all the region west of Falmouth Harbour. 



Indications of Roman occupation or traffic in the neighbour- 

 hood are not confined, however, to the existence of this camp 

 and its contents. 



Roman coins have been discovered close at hand : — "In 

 1779 an urn filled with Roman copper coins was found on the 

 barton of Grodolphin, about half-a-mile from the Roman fort at 

 Bossens, and the farmer who found them, sold 8 -lbs. weight to a 

 Jewf" — (about 1200 small brass probably). 



Samian ware and many Roman coins have also been found 

 in various parts of West Cornwall. The coins have been dug up 

 in almost every parish, as may be seen by reference to Leland, 

 Borlase, Tonkin, Lysons, and other writers. We have records of 

 finds in St. Levan, Buryan, Paul, Sancreed, St. Just, Morvah, 

 Ludgvan, St. Hilary, Breage, Sithney, Wendron, Constantine, 

 St. Anthony-in-Meneage, Budock, Feock (and other parishes 

 about Truro), St. Agnes, Illogan, Camborne, Phillack, &c, and 

 perhaps there is not a western parish that has not disclosed some. 

 Roman coins have also been found in the Scilly IslesJ, and Mr. 

 Tregellas, through Mr. H. Michell Whitley, has just called 

 attention to the curious fact that in the new Ordnance Map a 

 " supposed Roman road " is marked, on what authority I know 



* If this word were not supposed to be derived from garnir (Fr.) to furnish, 

 whence garnison or garrison, we should once more be tempted to connect it with 

 gaer, caer, castra, guerre, &c. On the use of Caer as a derivation, see "Borlase's 

 Antiquities," 2nd Ed., p. 326 and note. 



f Lysons, Cornwall, ccxxv, who quotes Borlase. 



% K.I.C. Journal, Vol. 4, No. 15, p. xxvii. 



