HENRIETTA QUINNELL

Archaeology

Suggested by Tanya Malone, first year archaeology student at Truro College

Tanya Says, “Henrietta Quinnell is an archaeologist and university lecturer specialising in the archaeology of South West Britain.

As an expert in pre-history archaeology, Quinnell has excavated throughout Cornwall including Trethurgy Round and Cockbarrow just outside of St Austell. She taught at Exeter University until 2005 after arriving in the south-west in 1968. Henrietta currently holds the title of Honoury Research Fellow at Exeter University. During her career she has been President of both Devon Archaeology Society and Cornwall Archaeology Society, the latter she is honoury vice-president of. Henrietta has published many papers and books including on her work in Cornwall.

Henrietta is important to me as, as a fellow Archaeological academic (in my first year at Truro College) it is great to be able to draw from her work and learn more about Cornwall and its historical past.”

From the Archaeology Data Service Interim report on the first complete excavation of Trethurgy Round, St Austell: “one of Cornwall’s commonest field monuments. Although much eroded, the enclosure was found to contain five oval huts, each of them family size, in use c 350-400 AD. The total occupation may have lasted from 3rd to 6th centuries AD. Other structures include a byre, and a possible four-post watch-tower and a shrine. Of the few surviving small finds, the pottery includes imported Mediterranean wares, and stone bowls made on site. Piracy seems to have been no problem since defences were not refurbished.”

Quinnell, H. and Miles, T. J. (1973). Trethurgy round, St Austell, Cornwall. Current Archaeol 4. Vol 4, pp. 142-147

truro-penwith.ac.uk