Looe Island, Cornwall
First screened 1 March 2009

What they found

Legend has it that Jesus Christ himself played on the pebble beach at Looe Island (also known as St George's Island), about one mile off the south Cornwall coast near Looe. It is a story that probably originated when the island was being established as a place of pilgrimage to rival St Michael's Mount further to the southwest by the monks of Glastonbury Abbey in the 12th century. According to the fable, Joseph of Arimathea, the wealthy merchant said to have donated his own tomb to Jesus after the crucifixion and the reputed first keeper of the Holy Grail, brought the Christ child to Britain and left him to play on the beach while he went off to do business with Cornish tin merchants.

You don't have to believe this story to recognise that there is something special about Looe Island. Covering 22 beautiful and unspoilt acres, it was owned and occupied by two English spinster sisters, Babs and Evelyn Atkins, from 1965 until Babs' death, aged 86, in 2004 (Evelyn died, aged 87, in 1997), when it was bequeathed to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Before that, it had been owned by Sir John Trelawny and his family for many years, and was at the centre of all manner of activities and stories, ranging from smuggling and shipwrecks to ancient settlement and trade.

Monastic settlement
From the 12th to 14th centuries, it was occupied as a monastic settlement set up as an offshoot of Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset. The abbey's records refer to its establishment by just two men: Elias, the first prior, and his fellow monk John. The monks built two chapels – or rather, as Time Team's excavations proved, extended two existing chapels – one on the island and one on the mainland opposite, dedicated to St Michael. These served as centres for the thriving – and highly lucrative – medieval pilgrimage industry, of which Glastonbury Abbey was a leading exponent, manufacturing many myths and legends, including those associated with Joseph of Arimathea and King Arthur, to promote their business and encourage pilgrims. Professor of history Nicholas Orme, who accompanied Time Team on this investigation, likened the abbey's activities to 'the first English theme park'.

Time Team explored both of the chapel sites, revisiting a 1930s dig led by the Cornish archaeologist Croft Andrew on the mainland and excavating the island site for the first time. In both cases, they found evidence of structures that pre-dated the Glastonbury Abbey's buildings, which appeared to have added new chancels to pre-existing naves.

Mainland site
On the mainland site, what was originally thought to be a cist burial (a stone-lined grave) turned out probably to be a reliquary, a chamber for relics that would once have contained purported saints' bones or bones of a leading monk or abbot. A burial was excavated under the chancel wall here at the same level as the reliquary, providing evidence that the site was likely to have been a centre of pilgrimage before the Glastonbury Abbey refurbishment and extension of the chapel. The presence of two post holes and a rock cut feature on a slightly different alignment to the later chapel was interpreted as evidence of an earlier wooden chapel.

The Team also excavated what Croft Andrew had referred to as 'the monks' house' at the foot of the cliff on the mainland site. They found a well-built two-storey building with two small rooms for monks and a refectory for pilgrim visitors.

The island
On the island, the Team again found evidence of later refurbishment and modification of an earlier chapel, including the addition of the chancel. A burial inside the chapel, cut out of the solid bedrock in front of where the altar would have stood, was clearly that of an important individual. It was dated by a pottery find to the 13th century, around the time when Glastonbury Abbey was ending its involvement with the site.

Also on the island, Time Team put in a trench to investigate a ditch around the top of the hill forming an oval enclosure. The top layer produced a number of Roman finds, including various coins, leading to speculation that it could be a prehistoric feature that was reused later – first in Roman times and then in later periods to enclose the chapel. Elsewhere, another trench uncovered what was possibly a fallen standing stone.

Whether or not Joseph of Arimathea, or for that matter Jesus Christ, ever walked upon this green and pleasant island, many other people, from the prehistoric period to the present, clearly did so – and Time Team had helped to illuminate their presence.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust
Looe (or St George's) Island is owned and managed by Cornwall Wildlife Trust. As a charity they receive no direct government aid and depend on the support of people who care about wildlife and the Cornish countryside. Such was the case with St George's Island. In 2004 the island was kindly bequeathed to the Trust following the passing of the Atkins sisters. It is now managed as a nature reserve and is part of the Looe Voluntary Marine Conservation Area. Since acquiring the island, the Trust has been learning more about its wildlife and habitats, along with the fascinating history of this nature reserve. Now, thanks to Time Team, they have more knowledge of the archaeology too. To find out more about St George's Island, including visits to the reserve, see the Cornwall Wildlife Trust website.

Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third-party sites.

« Home :Previous       Next: Q&A »

Back to top^