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HER:  Clwyd Powys 3475 (None)
NMR:  SO 12 SW 25 (142947)
SM:  None
NGR:  SO11052355
X:  311050  Y:  223550  (OSGB36)
Small, nearly circular, univallate contour enclosure located on small knoll rising to almost l40m O.D. on the W edge of the flood plain of the River Usk, 0.7km N of Tal-y-bont ar Wysg. Near present Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal. Gentle slopes on S and W, more steeply on N and E. Overlooked on W. Measures c. 130m NW-SE by 110m with internal area c. 0.8ha and barely visible on site, but clear from air and showing as an earthwork with parching in air photographs by Chris Musson 1989. Ramparts originally c. 20m across, now virtually destroyed and ditch filled-in. Suggested by CPAT (HER) as bivallate and shows as patches of degraded sandstone. On SE possibly another ploughed-down low bank to form a broad glacial channel NE-SW. To W broad stream gully forms outer defence and possible that the natural scarp above this has been modified to incorporate this natural feature into the defences. Possible S entrance gap. Under improved pasture. Minimal investigations, undated.
Citizen Science:  ✗
Reliability of Data:  Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed
X:  -366725  Y:  6782664  (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude:  -3.294345840846774  Latitude:  51.90332525295585  (EPSG:4326)
Country:  Wales
Current County or Unitary Authority:  Powys
Historic County:  Brecknockshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Talybont-on-Usk
Near destroyed by plough and barely recognisable on site, but shows from air.
Extant   | ✗ |
Cropmark   | ✓ |
Likely Destroyed   | ✓ |
Improved pasture.
Woodland   | ✓ |
Commercial Forestry Plantation   | ✗ |
Parkland   | ✗ |
Pasture (Grazing)   | ✓ |
Arable   | ✗ |
Scrub/Bracken   | ✗ |
Bare Outcrop   | ✗ |
Heather/Moorland   | ✗ |
Heath   | ✗ |
Built-up   | ✗ |
Coastal Grassland   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
Small, nearly circular, univallate contour enclosure located on small knoll rising to almost l40m O.D. on the W edge of the flood plain of the River Usk, 0.7km N of Tal-y-bont ar Wysg. Near present Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal. Gentle slopes on S and W, more steeply on N and E. Overlooked on W.
Contour Fort   | ✓ |
Partial Contour Fort   | ✗ |
Promontory Fort   | ✗ |
Hillslope Fort   | ✗ |
Level Terrain Fort   | ✗ |
Marsh Fort   | ✗ |
Multiple Enclosure Fort   | ✗ |
Hilltop   | ✗ |
Coastal Promontory   | ✗ |
Inland Promontory   | ✗ |
Valley Bottom   | ✗ |
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop   | ✓ |
Ridge   | ✗ |
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp   | ✗ |
Hillslope   | ✗ |
Lowland   | ✗ |
Spur   | ✗ |
Dominant Topographic Feature:  Knoll
North   | ✗ |
Northeast   | ✗ |
East   | ✗ |
Southeast   | ✗ |
South   | ✗ |
Southwest   | ✗ |
West   | ✗ |
Northwest   | ✗ |
Level   | ✓ |
Altitude:  130.0m
N/A
None.
Reliability:  D - None
Pre 1200BC   | ✗ |
1200BC - 800BC   | ✗ |
800BC - 400BC   | ✗ |
400BC - AD50   | ✗ |
AD50 - AD400   | ✗ |
AD400 - AD 800   | ✗ |
Post AD800   | ✗ |
Unknown   | ✓ |
Pre Hillfort:   | Stone axe and flints chance finds suggest Neolithic interest. |
Post Hillfort:   | None |
RCAHMW investigation 1969. CPAT defended enclosures survey 2006-2007.
Other (1969):   | RCAHMW investigation. |
Other (None):   | CPAT defended enclosures survey. |
None.
None
None   | ✓ |
Spring   | ✗ |
Stream   | ✗ |
Pool   | ✗ |
Flush   | ✗ |
Well   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
No Known Features   | ✓ |
Round Stone Structures   | ✗ |
Rectangular Stone Structures   | ✗ |
Curvilinear Platforms   | ✗ |
Other Roundhouse Evidence   | ✗ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
No Known Excavation   | ✓ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Postholes   | ✗ |
Roundhouses   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
Nothing Found   | ✗ |
None
No Known Geophysics   | ✓ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Roundhouses   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
Nothing Found   | ✗ |
None
No Known Finds   | ✓ |
Pottery   | ✗ |
Metal   | ✗ |
Metalworking   | ✗ |
Human Bones   | ✗ |
Animal Bones   | ✗ |
Lithics   | ✗ |
Environmental   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
APs Not Checked   | ✓ |
None   | ✗ |
Roundhouses   | ✗ |
Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
Pits   | ✗ |
Postholes   | ✗ |
Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
Possible that broad 5m-8m gap in S inner embankment could be site of entrance.
1:   | None |
2:   | Possible on S. |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:  ✗
1. Simple Gap (South):   | None |
Ramparts originally c. 20m across, now virtually destroyed and ditch filled in. Has been suggested by CPAT (HER) as bivallate and shows as patches of degraded sandstone. On SE suggestions of another ploughed-down low bank to form a broad glacial channel NE-SW. To W broad stream gully forms outer defence and possible that the natural scarp above this has been modified to incorporate this natural feature into the defences.
Area 1:   | 0.8ha. |
Total:   | 0.8ha. |
Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.
None
✗   | None |
✓   | Near destroyed, but originally single surrounding rampart. |
NE Quadrant:   | 1 |
SE Quadrant:   | 1 |
SW Quadrant:   | 1 |
NW Quadrant:   | 1 |
Total:   | 1 |
Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
Univallate   | ✓ |
Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
Bivallate   | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
Multivallate   | ✗ |
Unknown   | ✗ |
Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
Univallate   | ✗ |
Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
Bivallate   | ✗ |
Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
Multivallate   | ✗ |
Cropmark.
None   | ✓ |
Earthen Bank   | ✗ |
Stone Wall   | ✗ |
Rubble   | ✗ |
Wall-walk   | ✗ |
Evidence of Timber   | ✗ |
Vitrification   | ✗ |
Other Burning   | ✗ |
Palisade   | ✗ |
Counter Scarp Bank   | ✗ |
Berm   | ✗ |
Unfinished   | ✗ |
Other   | ✗ |
None
None   | ✗ |
Earthen Bank   | ✗ |
Stone Wall   | ✗ |
Murus Duplex   | ✗ |
Timber-framed   | ✗ |
Timber-laced   | ✗ |
Vitrification   | ✗ |
Other Burning   | ✗ |
Palisade   | ✗ |
Counter Scarp Bank   | ✗ |
Berm   | ✗ |
Unfinished   | ✗ |
No Known Excavation   | ✓ |
Other   | ✗ |
✗   | None |
✓   | Ditch filled in. |
Number of Ditches:  1
✗   | None |
RCAHMW 1986. An inventory of the ancient monuments in Brecknock (Brycheiniog). The Prehistoric and Roman monuments, Vol 1, Part 2, Hill-forts and Roman remains, HF 44, London: HMSO.
Silvester, B. 2007. The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust. Defended enclosures in Brecknock, CPAT Report No 859, Welshpool: CPAT.
Atlas of Hillforts:
Wikidata:
This work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and should be cited as:
Lock, Gary and Ralston, Ian. 2024. Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland. Available at: https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk
Document Version 1.1