Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

EN0064 Coed y Gaer, Oswestry, Shropshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

Scroll left/right to view further images.

HER:  Shropshire 1118 (None)

NMR:  SJ 22 NW1 (65991)

SM:  1006279

NGR:  SJ 232289

X:  323243  Y:  328983  (OSGB36)

Summary

Roughly oval, contour hillfort located on steep wooded slopes of an isolated hill above the Afon Cynllaith watercourse and below Llyn Rhuddwyn, measuring c. 140m by 46m, with internal area c. 0.48ha. Steep drops on the N and W. The ramparts of loose stone and small boulders have been generally destroyed and tumbled downslope, but are best on N, W and SE where up to 6m wide. Mutilated remains of a ditch remain on the SW side. To SW there is a possible outer bank where slope is less steep on the lower extension of the ridge. Probably a stone wall site rather than dump construction. A simple break through the rampart on the W near a very steep slope is a possible original entrance. Owned by the MOD, the site has been heavily wooded for many years and show evidence of much later disturbance with buildings, including a now roofless hunting lodge/summerhouse at the highest point. Undated. On 1st Ed OS map (1885-1900).

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -349692  Y:  6955822  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.1413333613733037  Latitude:  52.85283067602122  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  England

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Shropshire

Historic County:  Shropshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Oswestry Rural

Monument Condition

Part-destroyed and heavily disturbed MOD site with buildings remains, including a roofless 19th century hunting lodge/summerhouse at the highest point, with possibly one to three others. Rampart tumbled and gone apart from on the N and SE.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

Heavily wooded for many years.

Current Use:
Woodland   ✓
Commercial Forestry Plantation   ✗
Parkland   ✗
Pasture (Grazing)   ✗
Arable   ✗
Scrub/Bracken   ✓
Bare Outcrop   ✗
Heather/Moorland   ✗
Heath   ✗
Built-up   ✗
Coastal Grassland   ✗
Other   ✗

Landscape

Hillfort Type

Contour fort following the contours of a steep isolated hill. Located on steep wooded slopes of an isolated rocky ridge/hill above the Afon Cynllaith watercourse.

Type:
Contour Fort   ✓
Partial Contour Fort   ✗
Promontory Fort   ✗
Hillslope Fort   ✗
Level Terrain Fort   ✗
Marsh Fort   ✗
Multiple Enclosure Fort   ✗

Topographic Position

Position:
Hilltop   ✓
Coastal Promontory   ✗
Inland Promontory   ✗
Valley Bottom   ✗
Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop   ✗
Ridge   ✗
Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp   ✗
Hillslope   ✗
Lowland   ✗
Spur   ✗

Dominant Topographic Feature:  Isolated hill.

Aspect:
North   ✗
Northeast   ✗
East   ✗
Southeast   ✗
South   ✗
Southwest   ✗
West   ✗
Northwest   ✗
Level   ✓

Altitude:  362.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

None

Reliability:  D - None

Principal Activity:
Pre 1200BC   ✗
1200BC - 800BC   ✗
800BC - 400BC   ✗
400BC - AD50   ✗
AD50 - AD400   ✗
AD400 - AD 800   ✗
Post AD800   ✗
Unknown   ✓

Other Activity:
Pre Hillfort:   None
Post Hillfort:   None

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

On 1st Ed OS map (1885-1900). Field observation Ordnance Survey 1971. Field observation Shropshire CC 1981. Field observations English Heritage 1981, 1983. Air Photograph Interpretation RCHME: Marches Uplands NMP 1993-2000. Shropshire Council survey of 2012.

Investigations:
Other (1971):   Field observation OS.
Other (1981):   Field observation Shropshire CC.
Other (2012):   Shropshire Council survey.
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   1st Ed OS map
Other (None):   Field observations EH.
Other (None):   Air Photograph Interpretation RCHME: Marches Uplands NMP.

Interior Features

None

Water Source

Llyn Rhuddwyn 0.2 km outside the fort.

Source:
None   ✓
Spring   ✗
Stream   ✗
Pool   ✗
Flush   ✗
Well   ✗
Other   ✗

Surface

.

Interior Features (Surface):
No Known Features   ✓
Round Stone Structures   ✗
Rectangular Stone Structures   ✗
Curvilinear Platforms   ✗
Other Roundhouse Evidence   ✗
Pits   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗

Excavation

None

Interior Features (Excavation):
No Known Excavation   ✓
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗
Nothing Found   ✗

Geophysics

None

Interior Features (Geophysics):
No Known Geophysics   ✓
Pits   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗
Nothing Found   ✗

Finds

None

Interior (Finds):
No Known Finds   ✓
Pottery   ✗
Metal   ✗
Metalworking   ✗
Human Bones   ✗
Animal Bones   ✗
Lithics   ✗
Environmental   ✗
Other   ✗

Aerial

None

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked   ✓
None   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Other   ✗

Entrances

Possible SW original entrance, simple gap, but 19th century landscaping here may suggest otherwise.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   The disturbance to the site may call into question the site of any entrance.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Possible SW original entrance, but 19th century landscaping here.

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (South west):   19th century landscaping here.

Enclosing Works

The ramparts of loose stone and small boulders have been generally destroyed and tumbled downslope, but are best on the N, west and SE where up to 6 m wide. The mutilated remains of a ditch remain on the SW side. To the SW there is a possible outer bank where the slope is less steep on the lower extension of the ridge. Probably a stone-walled site rather than dump construction. A simple break through the rampart on the W near a very steep slope is a possible original entrance.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.48ha.
Total:   0.48ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

Possible outer stone bank on the SW.

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   The tumbled nature of the ramparts make definite measurements difficult to interpret.

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   Very tumbled and disturbed.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   2
NW Quadrant:   1
Total:   2

Morphology

Current Morphology:
Partial Univallate   ✓
Univallate   ✗
Partial Bivallate   ✓
Bivallate   ✗
Partial Multivallate   ✗
Multivallate   ✗
Unknown   ✗

Detailed Morphology:
Partial Univallate   ✗
Univallate   ✗
Partial Bivallate   ✗
Bivallate   ✗
Partial Multivallate   ✗
Multivallate   ✗

Surface Evidence

Probable dry-stone walled site.

Enclosing Works (Surface):
None   ✗
Earthen Bank   ✗
Stone Wall   ✓
Rubble   ✓
Wall-walk   ✗
Evidence of Timber   ✗
Vitrification   ✗
Other Burning   ✗
Palisade   ✗
Counter Scarp Bank   ✗
Berm   ✗
Unfinished   ✗
Other   ✗

Excavated Evidence

None

Enclosing Works (Excavation):
None   ✗
Earthen Bank   ✗
Stone Wall   ✗
Murus Duplex   ✗
Timber-framed   ✗
Timber-laced   ✗
Vitrification   ✗
Other Burning   ✗
Palisade   ✗
Counter Scarp Bank   ✗
Berm   ✗
Unfinished   ✗
No Known Excavation   ✓
Other   ✗

Other

Gang Working:
✗   None

Ditches:
✓   Mutilated remains if a ditch on the SW side.

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Dorling, P. and Wigley, A. 2012. Assessment of the archaeological and conservation status of major later prehistoric enclosures in Herefordshire and Shropshire, EH PNUM, Version 3.2, Hereford and Shrewsbury: Herefordshire Council/Shropshire Council.

Page, W. ed. 1908. Victoria County History of Shropshire, 1, 376, Institute of Historical Research.



Terms of Use

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