Castle an Dinas, St Columb Major

Castle an Dinas is an Iron Age hillfort near St. Columb Major in Cornwall, UK (gbmapping|SW945624) and is considered one of the most important hillforts in the southwest of Britain. It dates from around the second to third century BCE and consists of three ditch and rampart concentric rings, 850 feet above sea level. During the early 1960s it was excavated by a team led by Dr. Bernard Wailes of the University of Pennsylvania.

Arthurian legend

Traditionally, Castle an Dinas is the hunting lodge (hunting seat) of King Arthur, from which he rode in the Tregoss Moor hunt. A stone in St. Columb allegedly bears the four footprints of his horse made whilst hunting. [cite web| url=http://www.arthuriana.co.uk/concepts/folkgazt.htm| title=A Gazetteer of Arthurian Topographic Folklore| accessdate=2006-03-07]

The earliest written history was written by William of Worcester during his visit to Cornwall in 1478. He noted that legend says that the fort was the place where Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall and husband of King Arthur's mother, met his untimely death.

Civil War

In March, 1646 during the English Civil War, Sir Ralph Hopton's Royalist troops camped for two nights within the rings of the fort. [cite web| url=http://www.newman-family-tree.net/Sir-Ralph-Hopton.html| title=Sir Ralph Hopton - Lord Hopton, 1st Baron of Stratton| accessdate=2006-03-07] Here they held a council of War where it was decided that they would surrender to the Parliamentarians. Only Hopton and Major General Webb voted against. A few days later Hopton surrendered at Tresillian Bridge near Truro.

Other notable occurences

In 1671, John Trehenban, from St. Columb Major, was condemned to be starved to death in a cage within the castle's rings for the murder of two girls. [cite web| url=http://beehive.thisiscornwall.co.uk/default.asp?WCI=SiteHome&ID=661&PageID=73486| title=Beehive| accessdate=2006-03-07]

An extraordinary event that took place at the site was recorded by Cornish historian Samuel Drew, a ghost army was seen in the sky above Castle an Dinas around 1798. (If true, most likely an unusual but documented form of mirage.)

In 1904 a young woman was murdered on the site by a jealous lover, he too then took his own life.. [cite web| url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cornwall/parish/colmajhistory_files/jessie.htm| publisher=West Briton & Cornwall Advertiser| month=June 16| year=1904| title=Terrible tragedy at St. Columb, young lady found | accessdate=2006-03-07] .

The Old Cornwall Society hold their traditional annual midsummer bonfires here on the highest point of the fort.

Castle-an-Dinas mine

From 1916 to 1957 it was the site of Cornwall's largest wolfram mine. [ [http://www.cornwall-calling.co.uk/mines/north-cornwall-perranzabuloe/castle-an-dinas.htm Castle-an-Dinas Wolfram Mine, Cornwall] ] Many of the old buildings and workings remain standing. The mine is the type locality for the mineral Russellite. [ cite book
last = Embrey
first = P. G.
authorlink =
coauthors = Symes, R. F.
editor =
others =
title = Minerals of Cornwall and Devon
year = 1987
month =
publisher = British Museum (Natural History)
location = London
language =
isbn = 0565009893
pages = p.54
chapter = The Mines and Mining ] Other minerals found here include: Arsenopyrite, Cacoxenite, Löllingite, Phlogopite, Russellite Topaz Turquoise [ [http://www.mindat.org/loc-900.html Castle-an-Dinas Mine, St Columb Major, Belowda Area, St Austell District, Cornwall, England, UK ] ]

See also

* Castle Dore
* Prideaux Castle

References

External links

* [http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/647 "The Modern Antiquarian website"]
* [http://www.historic-cornwall.org.uk/a2m/iron_age/hillfort/castle_an_dinas/castle_an_dinas.htm "Historic Conwall website"]

Reading

* Tony Brooks, "Castle-an-Dinas 1916-1957: Cornwall's Premier Wolfram Mine" (ISBN 1-900147-15-7)