Summary

An early-to mid-C19 guidepost.

Description

The guidestone survives at the apex of an unclassified road junction on Bosullow Common. It is triangular in plan with a rounded top. The two faces have the following inscription: MORVAH AND ST JUST on the west and ZENNOR AND ST IVES on the east. The lettering is in Roman capitals incised into the stone surface. There is a representation of a pointing hand incised into each face above the lettering. A line broken by two dots is cut into the stone below the word St Just and St Ives, and a guidepost mark is inscribed at the bottom the St Just side. The stone has recently been painted which with the lettering picked out in black paint.

History

The Penwith ‘Finger Stones’ are a series of early-to mid-C19 guideposts which are scattered around the Penwith district. The stones differ in style, but all feature a hand with a pointing finger. Six stones have inscribed dates. The earliest date is 1819. One stone is dated 1834. Four stones are dated 1836. By the mid-C19 the roads in Penwith were heavily used to transport equipment to the various mines in the district and to nearby ports such as the one at Hayle. The guideposts may have been erected to help direct these travellers around the landscape. This guidepost does not have a date. It is likely to date from the early-to mid-C19, contemporary with the other similar guideposts. It was repainted in the early C21.

Reasons for Listing

The guidepost approximately 350m north-west of Bosullow Cottage, Bosullow Common, Morvah is designated Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Historic interest: it is probably a pre-1840 guidepost used to direct travellers around a rural landscape;
* Intactness: as an intact example which remains in its original position;
* Group value: it forms part of a distinct group of guideposts in Penwith which retain a similar dressing and function

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26676156

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Sussex: West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)