Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1411 y Gaer, Cefn Cloddiau, Montgomeryshire (y Gaer)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Clwyd Powys 1447 (None)

NMR:  SN 99 SW 2 (304932)

SM:  None

NGR:  SN91889027

X:  291880  Y:  290270  (OSGB36)

Summary

Much ploughed-down partial contour hillfort located on ENE-facing spur above headwaters of Afon Trannon to E. Steep surrounding slopes, moderate along spur ridge to W. Sub-oval measuring c. 158m E-W by 80m overall, with footprint at least c. 1.3ha. Defined now by sub-oval inner enclosure, c. 78m E-W by 38m of 0.3ha, with scarps, above steep natural slopes to S, and one or two outer lines of rampart to N and W and possibly on E. On 1st Ed. OS 1:2500 map (1886-87) showing three lines of curving rampart to NW, the inner curving to SE and then round to SW, with outwork to SE. No further details. Improved pasture. Wooded to S. Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -400105  Y:  6890960  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.594202541251446  Latitude:  52.499553550820025  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Powys

Historic County:  Montgomeryshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Trefeglwys

Monument Condition

Much ploughed-down.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Improved pasture. Wooded to S.

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

Much ploughed-down partial contour hillfort located on ENE-facing spur above headwaters of Afon Trannon to E. Steep surrounding slopes, moderate along spur ridge to W.

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:  267.0m

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

Early account 1696 - no details.

Investigations:
1st Identified Written Reference (1696):   Early account - no details.
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   OS map.

Interior Features

None

Water Source

None

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

None defined

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

Defined now by sub-oval inner enclosure, c. 78m E-W by 38m, with scarps, above steep natural slopes to S, and one or two outer lines of rampart to N and W and possibly on E. On 1st Ed. OS 1:2500 map (1886-87) showing three lines of curving rampart to NW, the inner curving to SE and then round to SW, with outwork to SE.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.28ha.
Total:   0.28ha.

Total Footprint Area:  1.3ha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   Total inner enclosure c. 0.3ha. total area not defined

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Quadrants estimated.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   3
NW Quadrant:   3
Total:   3

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:
✓   Possible three ditches, but conjecture and none visible.

Number of Ditches:  3

Annex:
✗   None

References

No related records



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