Bosiliack: A Later Prehistoric Settlement in West Penwith, Cornwall and its Context

In 1984 two roundhouses within the Bronze Age settlement at Bosiliack were partially excavated by Jeannette Ratclife and Charles Thomas on behalf of the Institute of Cornish Studies. Six radiocarbon determinations have now been obtained on charcoal from these. The dates fall into two groups, with three in the later part of the Bronze Age in the centuries between 1390 and 1000 cal. BC, and three in the Iron Age between 750 and 200 cal. BC. The radiocarbon dates are important because, although settlements of roundhouses are well known in west Penwith, none had been scientifically dated. They are also significant because they demonstrate the longevity and changing character of occupation within the roundhouses, and demonstrate the differing biographies of adjacent structures. This paper outlines the results from the excavations and the radiocarbon dating programme before moving on to a discussion of settlement on the west Penwith uplands.