Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1162 Caer Estyn, Flintshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Clwyd Powys 101279 (None)

NMR:  SJ 35 NW (92942)

SM:  FL066

NGR:  SJ314575

X:  331400  Y:  357500  (OSGB36)

Summary

Possible, wooded, contour hillfort located on summit of prominent hill located above the River Alun and near Caergwrle Castle near Wrexham, occupying a commanding position overlooking the Cheshire Plain to E. Surrounding slopes N, S, E, W moderate to strong. Formerly measured c. 280m ENE-WSW by 92m. Evidence of a single weak rough stone-revetted wall c. 1.5m in height, but no evidence of an external ditch. Although stated as a hillfort in the past, probably not prehistoric and could be much later. Wat's Dyke passes directly under the fort and there could be a connection between the two. Rampart sectioned 1957 (Hayes and Sandford Evans. 1960). Apparently similar structure observed on Caergwrle Castle hill opposite, but not considered prehistoric. On OS 1:2500 map 1879-80 (not 1st Ed.). Undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -336884  Y:  7003416  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.026276265722533  Latitude:  53.11024231701269  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Flintshire

Historic County:  Flintshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Hope

Monument Condition

Wooded with much destruction by silica quarries and timber felling.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Woodland. Silica quarries.

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

Possible wooded contour hillfort located on summit of prominent hill located above the River Alun and near Caergwrle Castle, occupying a commanding position overlooking the Cheshire Plain to E. Surrounding slopes N, S, E, W moderate to strong.

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:  Hill top

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

Altitude:  153.0m

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 OS 1:2500 map 1879-80 (not 1st Ed.). Rampart sectioned 1957 by P. Hayes and J. Sandford Evans.

Investigations:
Excavation (1957):   Rampart sectioned by P. Hayes and J. Sandford Evans.
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   OS map.

Interior Features

None

Water Source

Intermittent water in interior hollows.

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

Surface

None

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

Not determined.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
0:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:No related records

Enclosing Works

Evidence of a single weak rough stone-revetted wall c. 1.5m in height, but no evidence of an external ditch.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   2.5ha.
Total:   2.5ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   Actual present extent of stone wall not determined.

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

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

Stone-wall.

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

Weak stone-revetted wall c. 1.5m high.

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:
✗   No ditch in evidence.

Number of Ditches:  0

Annex:
✗   None

References

Ellis Davies 1949. Prehistoric and Roman remains of Flintshire, Cardiff: William Lewis, 197-99.

Hayes, P. and Sandford Evans, J. 1960. Hope: Hill Fort of Caer Estyn, Flintshire Hist Soc Publications, XVIII, 171-175.



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


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