View source for Plen-an-gwary

{{For|the hamlet in Redruth, Cornwall|Plain-an-Gwarry}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:The green at st just in penwith cornwall.jpg|right|thumb|A 'plain-an-gwarry' ("playing place") in [[St Just in Penwith]].]]
[[File:Plen an Gwari.wav|thumb|An audio clip of the Cornish Language pronunciation of 'Plen']]
A '''plen-an-gwarry''' or '''plain-an-gwary''' ({{langx|kw|Plen an Gwari}}), is a "playing-place" or round, a medieval [[amphitheatre]] found in [[Cornwall]]. A circular outdoor space used for [[Play (theatre)|plays]], sports (especially [[Cornish wrestling]]),<ref name="TI19112000">The Independent, 19 November 2000.</ref><ref name="C09061881">''A tramps visit to Gwennap Pit and Redruth fair'', The Cornishman, 9 June 1881, p8.</ref> and public events, the plen-an-gwary was a Cornish variant of a construction style found across Great Britain. Formerly common across Cornwall, only two survive nearly complete today: the ''Plain'' in [[St Just in Penwith]] ({{coord|50.1245|-5.6807|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline|name=Plen an Gwari, St Just}}) and Saint Piran's Round near [[Perranporth]] ({{coord|50.3482|-5.1234|type:landmark_region:GB|display=inline|name=Saint Piran's Round, Rose}}).<ref name="HC">[http://www.historic-cornwall.org.uk/a2m/medieval/plain_an_gwarry/st_just/st_just.htm ''St Just Plain-an-Gwarry''.] Historic Cornwall. Retrieved 23 September 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=428200 ''St Piran's Round.''] English Heritage National Monuments. Retrieved 19 September 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.pastscape.org.uk/maps.aspx?a=0&hob_id=428200 ''St Piran's Round - map.''] English Heritage National Monuments. Retrieved 19 September 2012.</ref>
The theatre area could be used for local gatherings, sports events, and production of plays. Cornwall culture had a type of play called [[miracle play]]s, written in the [[Cornish language]], that were meant to spread [[Christianity]]. To capture the attention of the audience, "the plays were often noisy, bawdy and entertaining."<ref name=HC/> The most important work of [[Cornish literature|literature]] surviving from the Middle Cornish period is ''[[Ordinalia]]'', a 9000-line religious verse drama which had probably reached its present form by 1400. The ''Ordinalia'' consists of three [[miracle play]]s, ''Origo Mundi'', ''Passio Christi'' and ''Resurrexio Domini'', meant to be performed on successive days. Such plays were performed in a plain-an-gwarry.<ref name=HC/>
==St Just-in-Penwith==
St Just's plain-an-gwarry is a large circular space, encircled by a {{convert|2|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} wall of stone. There are two entries into the space.<ref name=HC/> In November 1878 the ″Plane-an-Guare″ was restored under the guidance of several gentlemen including [[William Copeland Borlase]]. The outer wall was exposed and several loads of stone were brought up from [[Boscean]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Restoring the Plane-an-Guare|work=The Cornishman|issue=17|date=14 November 1878|page=5}}</ref> By December 1878 the ″renewal″ of the outer wall was almost complete. The restoration was funded to provide relief for the unemployed due to the closure of local mines.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Plan-an-Guare at St Just|work=The Cornishman|issue=22|date=12 December 1878|page=4}}</ref> It is central to the celebrations of the annual [[Lafrowda Day]] festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.plenproject.com/|title=Welcome to the Plen Project|access-date=2015-06-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505153840/http://www.plenproject.com/|archive-date=2008-05-05|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lafrowda-festival.co.uk/stjust|title=St. Just in Penwith}}</ref>
The plain-an-gwarry was used for [[Cornish wrestling]] tournaments in ancient and modern times.<ref name="TI19112000"/><ref name="BeutEng">John Britton and Edward Wedlake Brayley :"The Beauties of England and Wales, Vol II", Vernon & Hood, 1801, p516.</ref>
==Perran Round==
[[Perran Round]] in the [[civil parish|parish]] of [[Perranzabuloe]], between [[Perranporth]] and [[Goonhavern]] is considered to be the best surviving example of a plen-an-gwary.
[[Cornish wrestling]] tournaments were held at [[Perran Round]] in ancient and modern times.<ref name="RCG26071894">Royal Cornwall Gazette, 26 July 1894.</ref>
==Other sites==
Plen-an-gwarys were largely confined to the west of Cornwall.<ref name=SC>{{cite journal |author1=D. Simon Evans |title=The Story of Cornish |journal=[[Studies (journal)|Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review]] |date=Autumn 1969 |volume=58 |issue=231 |pages=293-308 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/30087876 |access-date=12 August 2021}}</ref> Depending on sources there are a possible 48 to 51 plen-an-gwarys including nine sites with extant remains and a further nineteen sites with no above-ground remains. The possible sites below are based on place-names.<ref>{{cite report|last1=Cole|first1=Richard|author-link1=Dick Cole (politician)|title=Perran Round, Perranzabuloe, Cornwall|date=2005|publisher=Cornwall County Council|page=8}}</ref>
* The Long Sentry field south-east of the church in [[St Mabyn]], has been identified as the possible location of the most northerly Plain-an-gwarry.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCO45318&resourceID=1020 |title=Heritage Gateway - Results |work=heritagegateway.org.uk |year=2014 |access-date=11 December 2014}}</ref><ref>Church Terrier - 1613 - Cornwall Record Office Document ARD/TER/304</ref>
* There is evidence to suggest that [[Bartinney Castle]] near [[Sancreed]] in the [[Penwith Peninsula]] may have been an [[Iron Age]] Plen An Gwarry for the celebration of [[Celts|Celtic]] [[Fire festival]]s.<ref>[[Weatherhill, Craig]]. ''Belerion''. (page 34) 1981. {{ISBN|0-906720-01-X}}</ref>
* [[Plain-an-Gwarry]], Redruth which was documented as being used for [[Cornish wrestling]] tournaments.<ref name="RCG12071823">Royal Cornwall Gazette, July 1823.</ref>
* There is an area called Plain-an-Gwarry one mile to the north-east of [[Marazion]].<ref>{{cite book|title=1:25000 Explorer 102 Land's End|date=1996|publisher=Ordnance Survey|location=Southampton|isbn=0 319 21816 3|edition=A1}}</ref>
* Site in the parish of [[Grade–Ruan]] approximately 200 m from Treleage farm ({{gbmapping|SW71531553}})<ref>{{cite web|title=Monument No 426711|url=http://www.pastscape.org/hob.aspx?hob_id=426711&sort=2&type=&rational=a&class1=None&period=None&county=1306805&district=None&parish=None&place=GRADE%20RUAN&recordsperpage=10&source=text&rtype=&rnumber=&p=15&move=n&nor=154&recfc=0|website=Pastscape|publisher=Historic England|access-date=20 December 2015}}.</ref>
* In circa 1587 it is recorded that in Penryn a group of Spaniards landed with the intention of sacking the town, however finding the streets deserted they were alarmed by a 'mighty shout' and ran to their boats. The townfolk were at a performance of 'Samson' and the gates of Gaza had just fallen, resulting in a deafening cheer.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Peter|first=Thurstan|year=1906|title=The Old Cornish Drama|publisher=Elliot Stock|page=19}}</ref>
Other possible sites where old documents and newspapers describe locations include:
* A site below [[Wendron]] churchtown is recorded as being used as a venue for [[Cornish wrestling]].<ref name="C21101880">Cornishman, 21 October 1880.</ref>
* A site in [[Mellangoose]] which is recorded as being where the famous [[Cornish wrestling|Cornish wrestler]] Captain Thomas Gundry regularly fought.<ref name="TWB01092016">The West Briton; Truro, 1 September 2016.</ref>
* At the base of [[Bodmin]] Beacon are the remains the [[Cornish wrestling|wrestling]] ring which many believe was a plen an gwari.<ref name="WMN16092013">The Western Morning News, 16 September 2013.</ref><ref name="CG30062010">Cornish Guardian, 30 June 2010.</ref><ref name="RCG25071856">Royal Cornwall Gazette, 25 July 1856.</ref>
==Gallery==
<gallery widths=200px heights=200px>
File:Field at Playing Place - geograph.org.uk - 1058901.jpg|Field at [[Playing Place]], the site of the plain-an-gwarry that gave the village of Playing Place its name.
File:Plaque at Playing Place - geograph.org.uk - 1058923.jpg|Playing Place plaque that acknowledges the plain-an-gwarry for which the village was named. It specifically refers to performances about [[Saint Kea]]
File:Origo Mundi kynsa gwersow.jpg|The opening verses of Origo Mundi, the first play of the [[Ordinalia]] (the magnum opus of mediaeval Cornish literature), written by an unknown monk in the late 14th century
</gallery>
==See also==
{{Portal|Cornwall}}
* [[Christianity in Cornwall]]
* [[Cornish literature]]
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{GeoGroup}}
{{Cornish language}}
[[Category:Amphitheaters]]
[[Category:Culture of Cornwall]]
[[Category:Cornish language]]
[[Category:Theatres in Cornwall]]