Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1427 Ffridd Mathrafal, Montgomeryshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Clwyd Powys 73 (None)

NMR:  SJ 11 SW 5 (306775)

SM:  MG232(POW)

NGR:  SJ11931143

X:  311930  Y:  311430  (OSGB36)

Summary

Unusual, oval, contour hillfort located on NE-facing spur above Afon Vernwy to N and its confluence with Afon Banwy to E in Dyffryn Meifod. Moderate to strong surrounding slopes except along ridge to SW where moderate. Oval shaped with inner circuit of scarp and W-facing ditch, measuring c. 62m ENE-WSW by 36m, with internal area c. 0.22ha, and an outer circuit of bank and also W-facing ditch enclosing c. 95m by 60m, with internal area c. 0.57ha. Banks to 1m high. Three further banks, two ditched, also constructed across promontory on W to c. 0.4m high and at least two phases of construction possible, but unclear. Rough pasture and heavy scrub. On 1st Ed. OS map (1886). Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -367863  Y:  6926475  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.3045673069340546  Latitude:  52.69334216319456  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Powys

Historic County:  Montgomeryshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Llangyniew

Monument Condition

Dense scrub makes condition impossible to ascertain.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Rough pasture and heavy scrub. Wooded surrounds.

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

Oval contour hillfort located on NE-facing spur above Afon Vernwy to N and its confluence with Afon Banwy to E in Dyffryn Meifod. Moderate to strong surrounding slopes except along ridge to SW where moderate.

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:  198.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

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 Montgomeryshire Small enclosures project 1990-97. Cambrian Archaeological Projects Forest Enterprise Welsh Heritage Assets Project archaeological survey 1998.

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

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

NO APPARENT FEATURES

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked   ✓
None   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Other   ✗

Entrances

6m gap on E probably original entrance.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (East):   None

Enclosing Works

Oval shaped with inner circuit of scarp and W-facing ditch, measuring c. 62m ENE-WSW by 36m, with internal area c. 0.22ha, and an outer circuit of bank and also W-facing ditch enclosing c. 95m by 60m, with internal area c. 0.57ha. Three further banks, two ditched, also constructed across promontory on W.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.57ha.
Total:   0.57ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✓   Total area of fort inside ramparts cutting off promontory on SW not estimated. At least two phases of construction possible, but no details and unclear.

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   2
SE Quadrant:   2
SW Quadrant:   5
NW Quadrant:   5
Total:   5

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:  4

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, 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.



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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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