Local History

Today the only living creatures at Chysauster in west Cornwall are visiting archaeologists, day trippers, and the odd rabbit.

But 2,000 years ago it was a busy village. The site was occupied over a 400 year period between around 100BC and 300AD, probably by the Dumnonii tribe.

The ancient remains of Chysauster

It was made up of a group of stone huts complete with hearth stones and various household items.

The village is believed to have included eight stone dwellings, arranged in pairs along a street, each with its own garden plot. The houses are oval shaped and around 28 metres long. Their walls survive to heights of up to 3 metres.

Small chambers lead off from the main courtyards of each house which served as working and living areas. A field system in the vicinity attests to the site's farming connections.

The Romans didn't venture far beyond the Tamar so the Cornish were left largely to get on with their own affairs.

Remains of Chysauster

The inhabitants survived by farming and livestock raising. Evidence of field enclosures show where cattle were prevented from getting at crops.

The landscape hasn't changed much since that time - Celtic field patterns and mixture of arable and pastoral farming. The only clues as to what life was like in ancient Chysauster.

The tin and copper trade was already well established by 40 AD. The Celts exchanged metals with the Romans for luxury goods at St Michael's Mount, the main port in the area at the time.

Chysauster is now looked after by English Heritage and is open to the public from March until November. Click on the link below to see visiting times and prices: