Life in the Village

During the Romano-British period, between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD, several of the houses built at Carn Euny were of a type known as 'courtyard houses', found only in west Cornwall.

Carn Euny ancient village as it may have appeared in the 4th century AD, looking towards the paved entrance to House I. It is not known for certain how the houses were roofed, but it is believed that the rooms and parts of the courtyard must have been covered. (Drawing by Judith Dobie) © English Heritage Usually oval in plan, courtyard houses had thick interlinking walls surrounding a large central courtyard. Smaller round and long rooms were located within the thickness of the outer walls. The courtyards were drained by stone-lined gullies, and may have been used for stabling livestock, crop processing and outdoor cooking.

Old field boundaries nearby show that the inhabitants farmed some 40 acres (16.2ha) of land around the village. They grew oats, barley and rye and they kept animals such as sheep or goats and probably cattle. The villagers were likely to have been traders, perhaps dealing in local tin.

After about AD 400, the village appears to have been abandoned for more than a thousand years. Later, the ruins were used as pig-sties and garden plots. In around 1750, a small cottage was built here and was occupied for about 50 years.