Gear farm

Gear 1

chris s Mar 11, 2002 20:05:50

Loved watching the excavations at the Gear Farm complex, the best TT of the series.......not least cos it's me home district. looking on my trusty OS sheet for Redruth and St.Agnes, the sheet north of The Lizard,i remembered another Gear Farm round enclosure nearer my hometown of Camborne.....and indeed, there it was:Gear Farm round,near Carnhell Green(SW617365,marked as settlement).But hang on -whats this? Tregear Farm near Crowan(SW640343,marked as settlement).......and hows about this? Near Killivose,yet another Gear Farm(SW642389)this time unmarked yet showing signs of occupying a site-a squeezed,but distinctly ovoid enclosure boundary........Now i take it "gear" is a corruption of the Brythonic "Caer",mutated through proniunciation.......
.......just how many "gear" settlement sites are there in Cornwall??? Phil?? Anyone?? Am i barking up a worthwhile tree, or indeed any tree at all ??

phil Mar 12, 2002 08:11:58

Replying to chris s

Hi Chris,

Ahh a fellow enclosure fan!. (Are we both mad!)

I'm no expert on the Cornish Language but a quick search on the web finds that "Car" or "Caer" in Cornish is a place name from the Celtic "ker" meaning fort.

The beauty is that Cornwall is full of em! - singles, doubles, also we have cliff castles, hillforts not to mention Plain en gwarries!

I have found the following "Caer" sites on the map but haven't had chance to visit them yet.

Caer Dane
http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/browse.php?site_id=737

Caer Keif
http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/browse.php?site_id=738

Caer Vallack
http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/browse.php?site_id=782

Anyone who plans a visit to Cornwall's cool landscapes be sure to try and get your hands on the following books. Most librarys in Cornwall would have a copy and I have seen them in certain bookshops.

"Cornovia - Ancient Sites of Cornwall and Scilly" by Craig Weatherhill £9.50 (Out of Print). ISBN: 1871060311 and "Belerion - Ancient Sites of Land's End" by Craig Weatherhill (Alison Hodge, Paperback, £3.50 (Out of Print). ISBN: 090672001X

Both books give a comprehensive guide to the ancient sites of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, both are illustrated with line drawings and with full access details

Phil
Near Castle an Dinas, (The Goss moor one), Cornwall.