244 RECENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES IN CORNWALL. 



Mr. Rundle adds, that around the hill or on it, within f- of 

 a mile, are the traces of " 7 camps," and at the same distance 

 the " Giant's Holt or Hold," — a fogou, probably British. On 

 the slope of the hill is a shallow well enclosed with masonry and 

 approached by steps. From his account it seems that the neigh- 

 bouring camps were circular British strongholds. 



Here then we have again, perhaps, a Roman fort in the 

 midst of British castles, — intruded amongst them with hostile or 

 coercive intent. In that case Pencair formed one link of a 

 Roman chain, Bossens and Oarhangives being the others. 



" The vast circumvallation " of Pencair is but 1-| miles from 

 the south-coast at Pentreath* (Sydney Cove, Pra Sands), and 

 like camps of Roman style, has confluent streams on two of its 

 sides. This Camp, if not Roman and connected with that of 

 Bossens, was a great British stronghold threatened by it. 

 Within and without Pencair are the remains of apparently 

 British huts. 



The river which rises near the foot of the hill on which it 

 stands flows north-westward to Hayle, cutting off all the country 

 about Mount's Bay and St. Ives Bay down to the Land's End. 



The 3 forts, Pencair, Grurlyn-Bossens, and Oarhangives, 

 follow exactly the direction of the Hayle river, and, on its 

 eastern side, are dotted across the country at equal distances 

 apart, in a straight line extending from south-east to north-west ; 

 the two end camps are at similar intervals from the two coasts, 

 Bossens being in the centre. 



The distances (by straight-line measurement) are the 

 following : — 



Northern sea at Hayle, 



to 

 Camp at Carhangives, St. Erth, 



to 

 Roman Camp at Bossens, by Gurlyn, . 



to 

 Camp at Pencair, on Tregonning Hill, 



to 

 Southern Sea, at Pentreath, 

 or at Porthleven 



If miles 



* Head of the sands ; treath, traith, harena, — sandy-beach. 



