Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1211 Coed Pentwyn, Brecknockshire (Coed Pen-Twyn)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Clwyd Powys 3342 (None)

NMR:  SO 11 NE 6 (305975)

SM:  BR190(POW)

NGR:  SO19351622

X:  319350  Y:  216220  (OSGB36)

Summary

Large and bivallate, heart-shaped, partial contour hillfort sited on SE ridge terminal of Mynydd Llangatwg and below Eglwys Faen rock outcrop above the River Usk at Crickhowell. Surrounding slopes N steep, S, E precipitous, W moderate to strong. Measures c. 138m by 75m with internal area 0.29ha. Steep natural defences to E and S, but two substantial ramparts, mainly of stone, to N where slope less. Commanding position. Outer rampart on W side only has an outer ditch and damaged counterscarp. Possible further strengthening of the ramparts on W side was unfinished. Main rampart sharply inturned on the NE side creating a sloping passageway to a gap at the ends of the inturned banks where the gate possibly stood. Improved pasture interior, with trees surrounding site and woods on E. Later cultivation and walling damaged interior and ramparts. Few investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -353107  Y:  6771013  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.172016450881352  Latitude:  51.83869927380875  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Powys

Historic County:  Brecknockshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Llangattock

Monument Condition

Later cultivation and walling damaged interior and ramparts.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Improved pasture interior, with trees surrounding site and woods on E.

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

Large and bivallate, heart-shaped, partial contour hillfort is sited on SE ridge terminal of Mynydd Llangatwg and below Eglwys Faen rock outcrop above the River Usk at Crickhowell. Commanding position. Sugar Loaf is in the distance. Surrounding slopes N steep, S, E precipitous, 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:  Ridge

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

Altitude:  300.0m

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

RCAHMW investigation 1977. CPAT defended enclosures survey 2006-2007.

Investigations:
Other (1977):   RCAHMW investigation.
Other (None):   CPAT defended enclosures survey.

Interior Features

None.

Water Source

Stream 0.15km outside fort.

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

Main rampart sharply inturned on the NE side creating a sloping passageway to a gap at the ends of the inturned banks where the gate possibly stood.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
None:   Total gaps not defined.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. In-turned (North east):   Sloping passageway.
1. Passage-way/Corridor (North east):   Sloping passageway.

Enclosing Works

Steep natural defences to E and S but two substantial ramparts, mainly of stone, to N where slope less. Outer rampart on W side only has an outer ditch and damaged counterscarp. Possible further strengthening of the ramparts on W side was unfinished.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.29ha.
Total:   0.29ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

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

Possible further strengthening of the ramparts on W side was unfinished. Mainly stone bank. Damaged counterscarp on W.

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:
✓   None

Number of Ditches:  2

Annex:
✗   None

References

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 39, London: HMSO.

Silvester, B. 2007. The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust. Defended enclosures in Brecknock, CPAT Report No 859, Welshpool: CPAT.



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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