Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1384 Graig Fawr Camp, Hundred House, Radnorshire (Graigfawr)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Clwyd Powys 327 (None)

NMR:  SO 15 NW 3 (140288)

SM:  RD112(POW)

NGR:  SO 13133 58411

X:  313133  Y:  258410  (OSGB36)

Summary

Univallate, contour hillfort sited on SW knoll end of prominent ridge stretching away to the NE and above the River Edw, a tributary of the River Wye. Steep N and W surrounding slopes, S and E precipitous. Irregular shaped measuring internally c. 255m NE-SW by 130m, with internal area 2.82ha. Defined by massive defences, in places to c. 4m high above a slight ditch on NW side, which occupies the highest point of the ridge knoll. SE side enhanced scarps above the steep descent. Whole of SW side missing and seemingly ploughed out, and formerly whole of site ploughed. Simple original entrance on NE, but another gap on NW not proven as original. Eight pillow mounds in interior of uncertain date. Rough upland grazing. On 1st Ed. OS map (1889). Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -364344  Y:  6839457  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.2729541269336893  Latitude:  52.21699624490388  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Powys

Historic County:  Radnorshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Glascwm

Monument Condition

Whole of SW side missing and seemingly ploughed out, and formerly whole of site ploughed.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

Rough upland grazing. Wooded slopes to SE.

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, contour hillfort sited on SW knoll end of prominent ridge stretching away to the NE and above the River Edw, a tributary of the River Wye. Steep N and W surrounding slopes, S and E precipitous.

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:  Knoll on ridge

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

Altitude:  353.0m

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:   Eight pillow mounds in interior of uncertain date.

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

On 1st Ed. OS map (1889). CPAT defended enclosures survey 2006.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1889):   OS map.
Other (2006):   CPAT defended enclosures survey.

Interior Features

Eight pillow mounds in interior of uncertain date.

Water Source

River Edw 0.3 km outside fort.

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

Surface

Eight pillow mounds in interior of uncertain date.

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

Simple original entrance on NE, but another gap on NW not proven as original.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
2:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North east):   None
2. Simple Gap (North west):   Not proven as original.

Enclosing Works

Defined by massive defences, in places to c. 4m high above a slight ditch on NW side which occupies the highest point of the ridge knoll. SE side enhanced scarps above the steep descent. Whole of SW side missing and seemingly ploughed out.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   2.82ha.
Total:   2.82ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   SW side ploughed out.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   0
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

None

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:
✓   Slight ditch on N and NW.

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Royal Commission on the ancient and historical monuments and constructions in Wales and Monmouthshire 1913. An inventory of the ancient monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire, III, County of Radnor, No. 191, London: HMSO.

Savory, H.N. 1952: List of hill-forts and other earthworks in Wales, IV, Radnorshire, Bull Board Celtic Stud, 16, 77.

Silvester, R.J. and Hankinson, R. 2006. Defended enclosures in Radnorshire. Project report, CPAT Report 781, 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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