Ringarounds, Veryan

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Gwendra, Veryan Castle

In the civil parish of Veryan.
In the historic county of Cornwall (Modern Authority of Cornwall, 1974 county of Cornwall).

PastScape record reads 'Multivallate round on a projecting spur on the east side of a deep steep sided valley. Although suggested to be of medieval date, it is a classic example of the Cornish round.' King and Salter seem to have no doubt about medieval use, but site is well outside village and not associated with roads and footpaths and seems unlikely to have any long term medieval use as a castle in my view. Leland appears to mention this as a single ditched fort in the parish of Gerrans.
NB A round is an Iron Age agricultral settlement restricted to western Britain see http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/mpp/mcd/mcdtop1.htm

This site has been described as a Timber Castle.

These are the earthwork and timber castles of the motte and bailey or ringwork form which where the vast majority of castles of the early conquest period, of the Marches in the 11th and 12th centuries and of the period during the reign of Stephen known as the Anarchy. They were generally fairly short lived, although some such castles survived for centuries, with the timber buildings and defences being replaced on occasions sometimes in timber and sometimes in Masonry (Alderton Castle in Northamptonshire was shown in a Time Team excavation to have been built about 1070 and to still have been having high status visitors in the C15-a fine piece of enamels horse harness being found in the gatehouse). Some of the smaller low mottes may have been adapted into moated manor houses, whilst others where abandoned and replaced by manor houses of a more comfortable and domestic nature. Timber castles varied greatly in size with some being massive constructions clearly deserving the term castle, whilst other were small mounds of minor knights and had a similar size, function and social status as the later pele towers. These small mottes are called 'castle' but this could be considered a rather loose use of the term.

The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Questionable.

Earthworks remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SW90893880

Modern Map from

Good for landscape form and features

Modern Map from

Good for general location

Air Photo from

1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 429574

Books
- Salter, Mike, 1999, The Castles of Devon and Cornwall (Malvern) p47
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p77
Journal Articles
- King, D.J.C. and Alcock, L., 1969, 'Ringworks in England and Wales' Château Gaillard Vol3 p90-127
  Bousfield, P and Bousfield, S., 1946-52, Journal of the Royal Institution of Cornwall Vol1 p143
Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
- Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p75

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