Tregiffian Burial Chamber
The Tregiffian is a 4,000 to 5,000 year old megalithic site dating from the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age and is located in the county of Cornwall in England. It represents a rare special form of a passage tombs, which is referred to in the English language as Entrance Grave. This type of system is typical of the neighboring Isles of Scilly.
Location
The Tregiffian is located south of Penzance between the towns of St Buryan and Lamorna in South West Cornwall. You come to him, if you drive from Newlyn after Lamorna, but not branching off into the place, but the road continues follows. After a few hundred meters on the left side of the stone circle of the Merry Maidens. 100 m follows the Tregiffian. In the immediate vicinity you will find more megalithic:
- Boskednan
- Boscawen -Un
- Chun Quoit
- Lanyon Quoit
- Mên-an -Tol
- Merry Maidens
- Mulfra Quoit
- Tregeseal
- Zennor Quoit
Construction
The large stone grave, which was built over 1846 half of a road is, in contrast to the Cornish quoits largely covered with soil, only the access to Tregiffian Long Barrow was exposed. From the hill facing, originally fortified the embankment, some stones are still visible. From the edge of the plant resulted in a covered passage to 4 m deep grave chamber, which is covered by four each 3 m long stones. Before the chamber with one transverse stone with cup-and -ring markings ornate stone forms a barrier. The original stone is in Truro, Cornwall Museum, the local stone is a replica. Inside the tomb there was the grave chamber consisting of upright stones and a cover plate. The Tregiffian formed, along with the Merry Maidens and other grave sites probably a sacred precinct.
History of Research
1871 William Copeland Borlase had become aware of the grave and let the first time make excavations. First, he discovered the stones of the edge attachment and uncovered a capstone on which he found flints, ashes and bones. In deeper excavations Borlase came across pits with some bones, which referred to cremations. 1932 Hencken presented for the first time found that it is probably negotiated a special form of a megalithic tomb in the plant and ordered this grave type time between dolmens and stone box a. Only recent research realized in passage tombs a variant of the Dolmens, mainly in the access to the interior stands out from this. With extensive excavations in the years 1968 and 1972 were found urns, the contents of which could be dated to about 1900 BC. The occurrence of both forms of burial is typical of a Entrance Grave, pointing to its use as a common grave over a longer period.