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There are no house circles or platforms in the area of the summit. The remains of seventeen houses and platforms have been found on the lower part of the eastern slopes and another 23 low on the western slopes; they were crudely constructed and probably only used seasonally. Nearly two-thirds of them were constructed in positions with a clear line of sight to the summit of Brown Willy and the nearby hill of Rough Tor, suggesting that the hilltops were viewed as special places.
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38:
468:. He also referred to them as "sepulchral mounds" but admitted that burials had not been found at many. Brown Willy Summit Cairn has never been excavated and folklore suggests an ancient Cornish king may lie entombed underneath. Nicholas Johnson and Peter Rose dated nine of the cairns on Bodmin Moor, eight have mean dates which range between 2162 and 1746 cal BC, suggesting the early
399:
The hill is part of a 1,221-acre (494-hectare) estate known as
Fernacre and includes a five-bedroom farm house. The property was put on the market in September 2016 for £2.8 million and sold to an undisclosed buyer the following April. The new owner has the grazing rights for the property and
608:
Brown Willy is unusual in that, unlike other hills on Bodmin Moor, there is little evidence of prehistoric settlement around it. It may have instead been set aside for use as a communal area for people from the surrounding settlements, who may have used the ridge as a ceremonial procession route.
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on the grounds that it would be "slightly more attractive to residents and tourists than Brown Willy". Cornish residents objected to the idea. One commented: "It's been Brown Willy for as far back as living memory goes and I suspect, as others have pointed out, that it will always be called that,
353:
has put forward the alternative suggestion that it could be from 'Bronn
Wennili' which translates as 'Hill of Swallows'. The name has evolved through a variety of historical spellings as follows: Brunwenely c.1200, 1239; Brown Wenely 1239; Brenwenelyn 1276; Bronwenely, Brunwely 1280; Brounwenely
566:
founded in 1954 by George King. They believe that Brown Willy was charged with "holy energy" on 23 November, which they celebrate each year as "Charging Day", and gather at the hill on that day each year to celebrate the sun's alignment with "positive and negative rocks". Other
Aetherian "holy
472:
was the main building period for cairns of this type. These are amongst the most intact due to their remote and inaccessible location. Many rocks from similar cairns have been spoiled and removed over centuries of neglect to be re-used in dry stone walling and other local construction.
597:, in which heavy rainfall develops over high ground and then travels downwind for a long distance. The effect produces heavy localised rain which can cause disastrous flash flooding such as the
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601:. In another case when the effect was manifested, a continuous line of showers developed on 27 March 2006 stretching 145 miles (233 kilometres) from Brown Willy to
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1350, 1362; Broun Welyn 1386; Brounwenyly 1401; Brownwenelegh 1450, 1470; Brounwellye, Bronwelly 1576; Brown-wellye 1584; Brounwellie 1639; Menar
Brownuello 1754.
243:
333:
element meaning "breast, pap; hill-side, slope, breast (of hill)", which is frequent in Welsh placenames. The
Cornish historian and language expert
617:
It is the location for a comedy film of the same name, about two 40-year-old former school-friends on a misguided stag do, written and directed by
1505:
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There are two man-made cairns on the summit. Brown Willy Summit Cairn or Brown Willy North Cairn is a man made rock pile that sits alongside an
111:
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Nænia
Cornubiæ, a descriptive essay, illustrative of the sepulchres and funereal customs of the early inhabitants of the County of Cornwall
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682:
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from the 1920s as places to visit, saying that 'The scenery is wildly grand, rugged and bleak' and recommending hiring a vehicle from
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Brown Willy is a popular destination for walkers and is said to be one of "the UK's best-loved high points". The hill features in an
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317:. The hill has a variable appearance that depends on the vantage point from which it is seen. It bears the conical appearance of a
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The summit of Brown Willy is 1,378 feet (420 metres) above sea level, the highest point on Bodmin Moor and in the county of
823:
Welcome to
Horneytown, North Carolina, Population: 15: An insider's guide to 201 of the world's weirdest and wildest places
488:. These purported alignments have been taken as evidence of some astronomical purpose in cairn placement and construction.
481:
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188:
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Experiencing
Landscapes: A Study of Space and Identity in Three Marginal Areas of Medieval Britain and Sweden, p. 109
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ran an editorial supporting the existing name and called for campaigners to keep their "hands off Brown Willy".
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rises nearby. There are naturally occurring piles of granite boulders around the summit, and one, known as the
358:
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237:
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291:, England, United Kingdom. The summit, at 1,378 feet (420 metres) above sea level, is the highest point of
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meaning "highest hill", as it is the highest point of Bodmin Moor and of
Cornwall. The highest hill in
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sun rises over Brown Willy North Cairn. and
Christopher Tilley refers to a "dramatic association with
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461:
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classified ridge-top cairns such as these in the most common category a "bowl"- or "cone"-shaped
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surrounded by desolate moorland. Streams and marshes are common surrounding the summit, and the
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1306:. Red guides (9th (revised) ed.). London: Ward, Lock & Co. 1927. p. 71.
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Celtic voices, English places: studies of the Celtic impact on place-names in England
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is composed of five separate rocks which get progressively higher towards the top.
361:. In 2012 a campaign was launched to have the hill's name restored to the original
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454:, meaning "rock piles"), and it has been suggested that Cornwall's ancient name
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1076:. Originally printed for the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies by J. Lanham.
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1230:. Explorations in Landscape Phenomenology 3. Left Coast Press. pp. 389–.
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from the north but widens into a long multi-peaked crest from closer range.
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Bodmin Moor: an archaeological survey. The human landscape to c.1800, p. 40
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384:. The geography of the surrounding terrain is typical of Bodmin Moor –
1193:
Neolithic Britain: New Stone Age Sites of England, Scotland, and Wales
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suggested that the name came from a corruption of the Cornish words
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The Forty Shires: Their History, Scenery, Arts, and Legends, p. 297
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416:, the public will continue to have the right to walk on the hill.
465:
1374:
Stone Worlds: Narrative and Reflexivity in Landscape Archaeology
349:
which falls in line with this theory. More recently, toponymist
1321:"Society visits its holy mountain of Brown Willy on pilgrimage"
1304:
A pictorial and descriptive guide to Newquay and North Cornwall
593:
The hill is known for a meteorological phenomenon known as the
56:
945:
The UK's County Tops: Reaching the top of 91 historic counties
37:
1227:
Interpreting Landscapes: geologies, topographies, identities;
576:
405:
342:
1372:
Bender, Barbara; Hamilton, Sue; Tilley, Christopher (2008).
683:"Brown Willy: Cornwall's highest point up for sale at £2.8m"
558:
The hill is regarded as a sacred mountain by members of the
401:
1122:
Nicholas Johnson; Peter Rose; Desmond Bonney (July 1994).
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Buildings and structures completed in the 18th century BC
1096:
947:(First ed.). Milnthorpe: Cicerone. pp. 20–21.
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Rodney Castleden has suggested that from the centre of
1417:"Brown Willy is Cornwall's answer to Withnail & I"
1371:
628:
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1028:
1000:
528:held on New Year's Day that starts and finishes at
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1261:(1960). "Chapter VIII: Cornwall in Adolescence".
1074:An English-Cornish and Cornish-English Dictionary
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651:
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504:Of that bold coast-line where he was not born—
1010:Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society, p. 343
1007:Prehistoric Society (London; England) (2006).
888:
571:in Tanzania, a mountain in California, two in
329:The first part of the hill's name is a common
1183:
1149:
1101:. Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer, London.
884:
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680:
660:. Chichester: Summersdale. pp. 161–166.
1405:Bender, Hamilton & Tilley (2008), p. 440
1396:Bender, Hamilton & Tilley (2008), p. 388
741:
646:
1315:
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1062:– Quick Reference Online Cornish Dictionary
986:(Map). Southampton: Ordnance Survey. 2015.
845:
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797:A popular dictionary of Cornish place-names
500:My father's sad grey eyes in gathering dusk
1277:
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547:Brown Willy and Rough Tor are listed in a
502:Saw Roughtor and Brown Willy hide the view
907:
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658:Walking the county high points of England
498:Here, in his deafness and his loneliness,
357:It has frequently been noted on lists of
1310:
1257:
1097:William Copeland Borlase (April 1994) .
840:
742:Coates, Richard; Breeze, Andrew (2000).
655:
423:
375:
366:whatever name we may formally give it."
313:and 4 miles (6 kilometres) southeast of
295:and of Cornwall as a whole. It is about
1282:. New York: HarperCollins. p. 49.
1090:
938:
936:
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851:"Campaign to change Brown Willy's name"
279:meaning "hill of swallows" or from
1506:Sacred mountains of the United Kingdom
1458:
766:
428:Brown Willy Summit (North) Cairn with
414:Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000
1414:
1065:
791:
419:
287:meaning "highest hill") is a hill in
942:
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1224:Christopher Tilley (15 July 2010).
943:Muir, Jonny (2011). "Brown Willy".
681:Steven Morris (13 September 2016).
195:
162:
13:
1476:Highest points of English counties
892:The English Cyclopaedia: Geography
309:miles (4 kilometres) northwest of
16:Highest point in Cornwall, England
14:
1517:
1451:Brown Willy on intoCornwall.co.uk
1439:
1376:. Left Coast Press. p. 231.
1327:. 7 December 2011. Archived from
914:Charlotte Maria S. Mason (1881).
175:Brown Willy shown within Cornwall
1156:Karin Altenberg (October 2003).
631:
446:The Cornish word for "cairn" is
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773:. Oxford University. p. 12
42:Brown Willy from the summit of
1446:Brown Willy on Cornwalls.co.uk
1072:R. Morton Nance (July 1990) .
895:. Bradbury, Evans. p. 588
861:
826:. Adams Media. pp. viii.
813:
785:
770:History in Cornish place-names
760:
735:
702:
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1:
1415:Gilbey, Ryan (27 April 206).
624:
491:
1501:Bronze Age sites in Cornwall
1060:Gerva Kynsa dhe Dressa Gradh
1035:Sabine Baring-Gould (1923).
972:. 27 April 2017. p. 26.
7:
1278:Du Maurier, Daphne (1936).
1196:. Routledge. pp. 48–.
324:
10:
1522:
1267:. John Murray. p. 79.
1162:. Almqvist & Wiksell.
713:The Rough Guide to Britain
586:
71:314 m (1,030 ft)
61:420 m (1,380 ft)
1190:Rodney Castleden (1992).
250:
236:
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147:
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103:
87:
75:
65:
55:
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820:Parker, Quentin (2010).
799:. A. Hodge. p. 60.
717:. Rough Guides. p.
656:Bathurst, David (2012).
612:
575:in Australia and two in
462:William Copeland Borlase
1041:. Methuen & Co. Ltd
984:OS Explorer Bodmin Moor
968:"Brown Willy is sold".
889:Charles Knight (1866).
869:"Hands off Brown Willy"
709:Humphreys, Rob (2008).
599:Boscastle flood of 2004
767:Jenner, Henry (1912).
549:Ward Lock travel guide
542:novel of the same name
506:
433:
345:has the similar name,
127:50.588832°N 4.602179°W
1496:Cairns (stone mounds)
1013:. Prehistoric Society
496:
441:triangulation station
432:triangulation station
427:
376:Geography and geology
339:bronn ughella/ewhella
208:Brown Willy (England)
1486:Marilyns of Cornwall
1128:. English Heritage.
478:Stannon stone circle
400:shooting rights for
178:Show map of Cornwall
132:50.588832; -4.602179
873:The Daily Telegraph
793:Padel, Oliver James
567:mountains" include
369:The Daily Telegraph
359:unusual place names
271:(possibly from
211:Show map of England
123: /
1331:on 3 December 2013
1038:A Book of Cornwall
875:. 5 November 2012.
857:. 5 November 2012.
595:Brown Willy effect
589:Brown Willy effect
434:
420:Brown Willy Cairns
51:Highest point
1481:Hills of Cornwall
1383:978-1-59874-219-0
1264:Summoned by Bells
1237:978-1-59874-374-6
1203:978-0-415-05845-2
1169:978-91-22-01997-8
1135:978-1-85074-381-1
1108:978-1-897853-36-8
1083:978-1-85022-055-8
993:978 0 319 24311 4
954:978-1-85284-629-9
806:978-0-906720-15-8
753:978-1-900289-41-2
728:978-1-85828-549-8
667:978-1-84-953239-6
569:Mount Kilimanjaro
560:Aetherius Society
538:Daphne du Maurier
516:Summoned by Bells
351:Craig Weatherhill
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1280:Jamaica Inn
777:25 February
603:Oxfordshire
583:Environment
530:Jamaica Inn
526:annual race
394:Cheesewring
390:River Fowey
293:Bodmin Moor
269:Brown Willy
226:Bodmin Moor
202:Brown Willy
169:Brown Willy
130: /
105:Coordinates
77:Parent peak
24:Brown Willy
1460:Categories
625:References
492:Recreation
470:Bronze Age
260:Landranger
115:50°35′20″N
98:County Top
67:Prominence
1357:4 January
1335:4 January
899:4 January
553:Camelford
532:, an old
486:Rough Tor
331:Brythonic
319:sugarloaf
315:Camelford
311:Bolventor
143:Geography
118:4°36′08″W
57:Elevation
44:Rough Tor
1351:"Floods"
1209:17 March
1175:17 March
1045:17 March
1017:18 March
923:17 March
855:BBC News
795:(1988).
540:'s 1936
410:woodcock
382:Cornwall
325:Toponymy
289:Cornwall
252:Topo map
244:SX158799
230:Cornwall
222:Location
466:tumulus
304:⁄
281:Cornish
273:Cornish
238:OS grid
94:Marilyn
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450:(from
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613:Media
577:Devon
406:snipe
343:Devon
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1378:ISBN
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