Gurnard's Head
Gurnard's Head(Cornish:Ynyal,meaningdesolate one;grid referenceSW432386) is a prominent headland on the north coast of thePenwithpeninsula inCornwall,England.[1]The name is supposed to reflect that the rocky peninsula resembles the head of thegurnardfish.[2]
Geography and geology
[edit]Gurnard's Head is the site ofbasalticpillow lavas,formed by underwater volcanic eruptions up to 400 million years ago.[3]
It is north of the hamlet ofTreenin the parish ofZennor,1 mile (1.6 km) to the west ofZennor Head.Almost entirely owned by theNational Trust,the headland is within theAire Point to Carrick Du SSSI,and the 630 mi (1,010 km)South West Coast Pathcrosses the southern part of the headland. The area is designated as part of thePenwith Heritage Coastand also designated as part of theCornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.A pub and hotel on theB3306 coast roadshares a name with the headland.[4]
History
[edit]
The headland is the site of anIron Agepromontory fortknown as Trereen Dinas[5](not to be confused withTreryn Dinas). On the cliff-edge, above Treen Cove are the remains of Chapel Jane, which could have been aguildchapel of local fisherman. The earliest pottery dates from AD 1100 to 1150, but the original simple structure of the chapel is comparable with the tiny chapels ofSt Helen'sandTeän,on theIsles of Scilly.An association with the adjoining stream which according to local, 19th-century, tradition was regarded as aholy well,could indicate an earlier, possibly 8th-century founding.[6]
To the east of the headland is anengine housebelonging to a copper mine, originally known as Treen Copper Mine (before 1821) and later renamed Gurnard's Head Mine.[7]
There are two small coves to the east of, and sheltered by Gurnard's Head; Treen Cove and Rose-an-Hale Cove.[8]In 1870, the Gurnard's Headseine fisherywas worth an estimated £800 per year and employed 24 men with 10 boats and twoseines.[9]Thepilchards(Sardina pilchardus) were sold locally as fresh pilchards rather than salted and sold as fumadoes for theMediterraneanmarket.[10]The Western Fishing Company was dissolved and their assets were auctioned on 28 June 1880. Included were the Account-house furniture, cellars, lofts and buildings used in the pilchard fishery as well as a launching platform in the cove. There were 14 boats (senn boats, loaders and followers), acapstan,chain blocks and gear, large crane, stage and winch, two seans (seines nets), tuck net and stop net, and circa 50 tons of French salt.[11]
The headland was popular with tourists duringQueen Victoria's reign. Thefreeholdof the Gurnard's Head Inn was put up for sale by auction on 27 May 1880, at the Western Hotel,Penzance.The Inn was part of the Nicholls' Tenement and there was also rights ofcommonon Treen Cliff and 12 acres (4.9 ha) of "fertile arable lands and improvable enclosed Crofts and Moors".[12]The reserve was £975 and the highest bid was £730 and the property was not sold.[13]
References
[edit]- ^OS Explorer Map 102 - Land's End(B2 ed.). Southampton: Ordnance Survey. 2010.ISBN978 0 319 24116 5.
- ^Pool, Peter A S.The Place-Names of West Penwith(Second ed.). Heamoor: Self published. p. 89.
- ^Charlotte, Becquart (14 January 2021)."Cornwall's volcanoes that were active hundreds of millions of years ago".Cornwall Live.Retrieved23 March2021.
- ^"The Gurnard's Head".EATDRINKSLEEP.Retrieved18 November2016.
- ^Craig WeatherhillCornovia: Ancient Sites of Cornwall & Scilly(Alison Hodge 1985; Halsgrove 1997, 2000)
- ^Charles Thomas(1974).Christian Sites in West Penwith Excursion Guide.Redruth: Institute of Cornish Studies. pp. 11–15.ISBN0 903686 04 X.
- ^"Gurnards Head Mine".Pastscape.Historic England.Retrieved25 November2016.
- ^1:10,000 Sheet Gurnard's Head.Ordnance Survey.
- ^Anon (April 1872). "Spring Meeting 1871".Journal of the Institute of Cornwall.XIII.
- ^Anon (24 October 1878). "The Harvest of the Sea".The Cornishman.No. 15. p. 4.
- ^"Sales by Auction. Gurnard's Head, Zennor, June 28".The Cornishman.No. 102. 24 June 1880. p. 1.
- ^"Gurnard's Head, Zennor".The Cornishman.No. 95. 6 May 1880. p. 1.
- ^"Penzance".The Cornishman.No. 99. 3 June 1880. p. 4.
