‘King Arthur’s Hall’ 4,000 Years Older Than Thought –

New investigations into the ruins of King Arthur’s Hall on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall have revealed that it dates back to the Neolithic period, 4,000 years earlier than previously thought. Using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, researchers from the Cornwall Archaeological Unit (CAU) found that the enclosure was excavated around 5,000 to 5,500 years ago, making it as old as Stonehenge rather than medieval.

The site is a rectangular sunken enclosure 155 feet long by 65 feet wide, outlined by an earth and stone embankment. The inner bank is lined with 56 standing stones (standing stones) up to 6 feet high. Most visible objects are tilted or lying down, but there may be more beneath the surface.

It has long been thought to be a medieval animal pen, a place where livestock were kept, and is listed by Historic England as dating from around 1000 AD, but there is speculation that its north-south orientation and presence differed from other nearby structures due to the use of vertical fixtures. At least part of the mound is much older than the standing stones. However, the rectangular enclosure with embankments and internal standing stones is unique. There are no directly comparable Neolithic examples known.

CAU was commissioned to excavate a small survey trench adjacent to the rectangular southern entrance area. Soil samples were collected from the main ditch across the river bank, and organic samples were collected from exposed stone buildings along the river bank. Photostimulated luminescence dating, which measures the last time soil was exposed to light, was used to measure samples of the river bank and the soil beneath it. OSL results indicate that the dike was excavated and constructed in the late 4th century BC. Geological analysis of the standing stones found that they were local and came from within 820 feet of the site.

Test pits dug elsewhere in the hall recovered samples of pollen, seeds, insects and parasite eggs for radiocarbon dating. It turns out that the filling of the enclosure began around 2,000 – 2,500 years ago, and the activity inside the bog is indeed medieval, dating back to 500 – 1,000 years ago, so it may have been used for a pound after all, and then as a base for tin mining reservoir.

It was first recorded as “King Arthur’s Hall” in 1584, but there is no specific connection to Arthurian legend other than that he visited there. The connection to the legendary king may be a newer cultural expression, stemming from an older understanding of the site’s sacredness and importance.

Pete Herring, chairman of the Cornwall Archaeological Society, said: “The romantic-sounding 16th-century name of King Arthur’s Hall tells us that this is a place regarded by the wilderness community as ancient and unfathomable, just like other places regarded as Thought to be the same site as King Arthur’s, science responded to the challenge of the name by providing a very early date of origin, and two other dates later, prehistoric and medieval, when there was activity at the enclosure.

“The monument retains its mystery: there is nothing similar in the Neolithic, a rectangular enclosure with a stone arrangement of sinks and dykes, probably water. We might think of it as a sacred site, a gathering , a place where rituals or rituals were performed, but perhaps Neolithic people made and used it for very different purposes.

“Its later reuse in prehistory and medieval times may have been linked to two great sources of wealth in Cornwall, supporting sustainable summer grazing of large common areas and then serving as a reservoir for water for workings on Tin Creek.”

Historic England has put the site on its Heritage at Risk list because it is threatened by erosion from vegetation and tourists. Confirming its Neolithic origins will help the heritage agency develop a long-term conservation management plan, starting with rebuilding the fence around the monument to prevent encroachment by human visitors and cattle on Bodmin Moor Pasture.