Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1328 Tyle Clydach, Brecknockshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Clwyd Powys 3199 (None)

NMR:  SO 02 SE 10 (305734)

SM:  BR253(POW)

NGR:  SO 0974 2175

X:  309745  Y:  221745  (OSGB36)

Summary

Univallate hillslope hillfort located on tip of a very steep spur close to the Afon Clydach and above the Caer Fanell near its confluence with the River Usk, and on the opposite side of the valley to Tump Wood hillfort (Atlas No. 1327) at Talybont-on-Usk. Steep or very steep surrounding slopes. Measures 260m by 180m total footprint and 120m by 75m internally, with 1ha internal area. Only W half of the enclosure remains marking uphill side of the enclosure; possibly due to forestry damage or some other means of enclosure, or the site was unfinished. Here a crescentric bank rises to c.1.7m in height externally with outer ditch to 1.4m deep. No visible signs of internal structures nor entrance, which could have been in the missing E half of the site. Overlooked from rising ground to W. In forestry, but well preserved in parts. Minimal investigations, unfinished.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -368783  Y:  6779700  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.3128362119878227  Latitude:  51.88689058479643  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Powys

Historic County:  Brecknockshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Talybont-on-Usk

Monument Condition

Forestry, but well-preserved in parts. Modern track follows line of ditch on S with resultant damage. Ruinous field wall crosses bank on S and follows crest on SW.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

In forest plantation.

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

Univallate hillslope hillfort located on tip of a very steep spur close to the Afon Clydach and above the Caer Fanell near its confluence with the River Usk, and on the opposite side of the valley to Tump Wood hillfort (Atlas No. 1327). Steep or very steep surrounding slopes.

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:  Spur

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

Altitude:  320.0m

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 1980. CPAT defended enclosures survey 2006-2007.

Investigations:
Other (1980):   RCAHMW investigation.
Other (None):   CPAT defended enclosures survey.

Interior Features

None.

Water Source

Stream 0.3km 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

No entrance visible.

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

Only W half of the enclosure remains marking uphill side of the enclosure; possibly due to forestry damage or some other means of enclosure, or the site was unfinished. Here a crescentric bank rises to c.1.7m in height externally with outer ditch to 1.4m deep.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   1.0ha.
Total:   1.0ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Only W half visible.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   0
SE Quadrant:   0
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

Possible earth and stone bank. Possibly unfinished.

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:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

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

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 24, London: HMSO.



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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