Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1425 Gwern Ddu Wood, Montgomeryshire (Gwern Ddu Wood)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

Scroll left/right to view further images.

HER:  Clwyd Powys 70 (None)

NMR:  SJ 11 SW 4 (306780)

SM:  None

NGR:  SJ14101074

X:  314100  Y:  310740  (OSGB36)

Summary

Small, oval, univallate, hillslope fort located on NE-facing slopes above the Afon Vyrnwy and Afon Banwy neu Einion, in an area of clusters of small hillforts. Moderate slopes to N, moderate to strong to E, S and W. Measures 78m by 62m NE-SW with internal area 0.3ha. Bank and ditch; the ditch upslope of bank throughout. Bank created by throwing earth downslope and 10m wide gap on NNW. Large gap in defences in SW quadrant. Possible NW entrance. On 1st Ed. OS map (1886). Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -364269  Y:  6925400  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.272287522195623  Latitude:  52.68748963904553  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Powys

Historic County:  Montgomeryshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Meifod

Monument Condition

Much damaged by forestry. Entrance used as access track.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Forestry.

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

Small, oval, univallate, hillslope fort located on NE-facing slopes above the Afon Vyrnwy and Afon Banwy neu Einion, in an area of clusters of small hillforts. Moderate slopes to N, moderate to strong to E, S and 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:  Hillslope

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

Altitude:  122.0m

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 1st Ed. OS map (1886). CPAT site visit 1978. CPAT Montgomeryshire Small enclosures project 1990-97. Cambrian Archaeological Projects Forest Enterprise Welsh Heritage Assets Project archaeological survey 1998. CPAT site investigation 2011.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1886):   OS map.
Other (1978):   CPAT site visit.
Other (1998):   Cambrian Archaeological Projects Forest Enterprise Welsh Heritage Assets Project.
Other (2011):   CPAT site investigation.
Other (None):   CPAT Montgomeryshire Small enclosures project.

Interior Features

None

Water Source

Stream on site.

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

Possible NW entrance, now used as access track.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
2:   Large gap in defences on SW.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North west):   Now used as access track.

Enclosing Works

Bank and ditch; the ditch upslope of bank throughout. Bank created by throwing earth downslope and 10m wide gap on NNW. Large gap in defences in SW quadrant.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.3ha.
Total:   0.3ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   Large gap in defences in SW quadrant.

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

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:
✓   None

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Cambrian Archaeological Projects, 1998. Forest Enterprise Welsh Heritage Assets Project, Archaeological Survey Phase III, Contract 6, Clocaenog/Cynwyd/Ceiriog/Mathrafal/Ceri.

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Constructions in Wales and Monmouthshire, 1911. An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire, I, County of Montgomery, No. 763, London: HMSO.

Silvester, R.J. and Britnell, W.J. 1993. Montgomeryshire small enclosures project. Summary Report 1993, CPAT Report No 80, Welshpool, Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust.

Silvester, R.J. 2011. Recent Research on Late Prehistoric and Romano-British Enclosures in Montgomeryshire , The Montgomeryshire Collections, 99, 1-26.



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