File:Lead shot (FindID 501356).jpg

English: Two cast lead shot, probably musket balls, spherical in shape, one with two incised parallel lines on the surface at its widest point, but not damaged from use. The diameter of about 16 mm and weight of about 23 g of the shot compares well with examples from the 17th and 18th centuries in the Royal Institution of Cornwall's collections and those on the database. These are definitely for small arms and may have come from a smooth bore musket. Musket calibres ranged from 0.5 inches (13 mm) to 0.8 inches (20 mm), but during the 17th century they tend to be larger and heavier than these examples, but it is difficult to date them out of context. During the 18th century, smooth bore muskets like the 'Brown Bess' fielded a calibre of about 0.75", which is about 19 mm. With its soft, all-lead composition, the ball would easily flatten or burst on contact, much like a modern soft-point bullet, but had considerable hitting power and was able to penetrate the armor of the day, but had limited accuracy due to the lack of rifling in the barrel.

The two shot were found together just by the road from St Austell to Mevagissey and close to the river which would have been navigable in the 17th and 18th centuries, though it has since silted up from mine waste. The closest landing place would have been Pentewan which was used as a port before Hawkins' harbour of the 1820s in order to transport stone from the quarries at Polrudden from the 16^th century. Even though there is not a battle site nearby the main southern estuaries in this area were all controlled during the Civil War, and the Parliamentarians must have travelled and foraged between battles in the Lostwithiel, Tywardreath and Par areas and the Tregony area of the Roseland, particularly in the summer of 1644 (Roger Smith pers comm).