Sperris Quoit is a ruined megalithic burial chamber or
dolmen
A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were so ...
, and one of a type of tomb unique to
West Penwith, located on a moor around 365 metres northeast of
Zennor Quoit
Zennor Quoit is a ruined megalithic burial chamber or dolmen, located on a moor about a mile (1.6 km) east of the village of Zennor, Cornwall, England, UK. It dates to 2500–1500 BC. Aside from the roof, which collapsed some time between ...
, being roughly halfway between
Zennor
Zennor is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The parish includes the villages of Zennor, Boswednack and Porthmeor and the hamlet of Treen. Zennor lies on the north coast, about north of Penzance,Ordnance Surve ...
and
Amalveor
Amalveor ( kw, Amal Veur, meaning "great Amal"; 'Amal' appears to be the name of a river) is a hamlet in West Penwith, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at . The hamlet is south-west of St Ives. It is in the civil parish of Towednack
Towedn ...
,
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...
. It is the northernmost quoit in the
Penwith peninsula
Penwith (; kw, Pennwydh) is an area of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, located on the peninsula of the same name. It is also the name of a former local government district, whose council was based in Penzance. The area is named after o ...
and a
Scheduled Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
.
Etymology
The word "Sperris" is believed to have been derived from the identical
Cornish word "sperris", which means hobgoblin, ghost, or sprite, whereas the word "Quoit" is believed to derive from the
Old French
Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligi ...
word "coite", and means "a large flat stone atop a cromlech", or tomb.
History
Sperris Quoit is over 4000 years old, and may be older, possibly as old as 7000 years, as it has been dated variously at late- or post-
neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several part ...
, and late
mesolithic
The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymo ...
or neolithic.
Ancient Sites of West Penwith
Cornwall in Focus, retrieved 15/04/2012 It was in relatively good condition until at least the early 19th century, but there is evidence that stones have been removed since then, for local building work in the village of Zennor. The site was rediscovered in 1954 by Thomas and Wakes, who excavated it in part.
Description
The quoit is situated in rough moorland on the side of Zennor Hill, at about 230 metres above sea level, and is close to several rocky outcrops. About 12 metres in diameter, five stones were found during the excavations, two standing, and three fallen, of which one has eroded to a stump, although due to heavy vegetation and dense gorse
''Ulex'' (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are ...
, only one upright of the chamber is visible, which is over 1.5 metres tall.capstone
CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) is a lunar orbiter that will test and verify the calculated orbital stability planned for the Lunar Gateway space station. The spacecraft is a 12- ...
is missing entirely. A cremation pit was discovered during the excavations, and the antechamber faces south.
See also
* Spolia
''Spolia'' (Latin: 'spoils') is repurposed building stone for new construction or decorative sculpture reused in new monuments. It is the result of an ancient and widespread practice whereby stone that has been quarried, cut and used in a built ...
References
* {{Megalithic Portal, 6081
External links
How to Find Sperris Quoit
Archaeological sites in Cornwall
Scheduled monuments in Cornwall
Dolmens in Cornwall
Zennor