A fogou, also spelled fougou (pronounced "foo-goo"), is an underground building made of dry stones found on ancient settlement sites in Cornwall, England. These structures were built during the Iron Age or the Romano-British period. Scientists are not sure what the fogous were used for. In local dialects, they are sometimes called vugs, vows, foggos, giant holts, or fuggy holes. Fogous are similar to souterrains or earth-houses found in northern Europe, especially in Scotland, such as in the Orkney Islands. Only about 15 fogous have been confirmed by researchers.

Construction

Fogous are structures made of a buried stone wall, often curved at the top and covered with flat stone slabs. They were built by digging a sloping trench about 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide and 6 feet (1.8 meters) deep. The trench was lined with dry stone walls that leaned inward and topped with flat slabs. Soil removed during digging was placed on top, as seen at Pendeen Vau, or used to build the rampart of the enclosure, as seen at Halliggye Fogou, Trelowarren.

Function

It is believed that fogous were built for different reasons, such as shelter, religious activities, or storing food.

Fogous were often located in the middle of ancient settlements, and the effort needed to build them shows they were important to the people who lived there. However, their original purpose is not known today. Many fogous are aligned from southwest to northeast, with their entrances facing the wind that most often blows in that area. Excavations at sites like Halliggye, Carn Euny, and Boden suggest that some fogous were filled in again after they were used or when the nearby settlements were abandoned.

It is unlikely that fogous were used for religious rituals during the Iron Age, as Celtic druids typically worshipped outdoors in open spaces.

Today, both written records and archaeological findings support the idea that fogous were used as refuges, possibly to protect people during attacks, as first proposed by Kenneth MacGregor in 2004.

Nancy Edwards noted that evidence supports this idea: features like narrow passages, hidden rooms, and escape doors, along with the fact that most fogous were not visible above ground, would have helped people stay safe during sudden attacks. However, these spaces could become dangerous if an attack lasted a long time.

Although fogous are now damp, storing food inside them seems difficult today. However, Diodorus Siculus wrote that people in Iron Age Britain stored grain in underground places, which adds to the idea that fogous might have been used for food storage. Some fogous that had openings at both ends could have been suitable for storing certain foods, like drying meat or keeping dairy products such as milk, butter, and cheese. Natural molds might have helped preserve these items.

Ashpits found at Trewardreva and in a circular room at Carn Euny were likely used to store gulls’ eggs, similar to practices on Saint Kilda in Scotland. A layer of black, greasy mold mixed with charcoal, animal bones, and bird remains found at Treveneague also strongly suggests that food was stored there.

Etymology

The word may be connected to the Cornish words "fow" (plural "fowys") and/or "gogow" (plural "gogowyow"), both of which mean "cave." In the past, people in Cornwall sometimes called them "fuggy-holes," but this name is not used much today.

History and archaeology

The souterrains of Gaul and early medieval Ireland may have been used as hiding places to avoid being found by raiders. Fogous might have served a similar purpose to the underground kivas of the Puebloans.

Other underground structures, such as "earth houses" or souterrains, share some similarities with fogous. An example of an excavated souterrain is the site at Rosal, Strathnaver, Sutherland. At this site, nothing was found inside the structure, and the roof may have been only partially covered with stones. Part of the roof might have been made of wood. It was suggested that souterrains could have been used as barns. Fogous are often found near homes from the Iron Age.

Petrospheres, or "stone balls," have been discovered in souterrains. These objects may have represented power in prehistoric societies, suggesting they were used for purposes beyond simple storage of food and resources.

Two fogous have been studied by Time Team: Boleigh Fogou in Series 3 (1995) and Boden Vean in Series 21 (2021).

Sites

Halliggye Fogou on the Trelowarren estate is considered the largest and best-preserved fogou still standing.

Other well-preserved fogous can be found at Carn Euny, Boleigh Fogou near Lamorna, Pendeen Vau, and Trewardreva near Constantine. The Trewardreva site is locally known as Pixie's Hall or Piskey Hall.

Some fogous have been partially destroyed. These include the site at Chysauster, which is managed by English Heritage and has been blocked for safety reasons. Additional partially destroyed fogous are located at Boden Vean near Manaccan and at Lower Boscaswell near Pendeen.

Signs of possible former fogous have been discovered at Porthmeor, Higher Bodinar, Castallack, and Treveneague. Another fogou was found during rescue excavations at Penhale Round on the A30, which is the easternmost example. However, this site has since been destroyed.