Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1444 Plas-y-Gaer, Brecknockshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Clwyd Powys 929 (None)

NMR:  SO 02 SW 2 (305740)

SM:  BR154(POW)

NGR:  SO03292462

X:  303290  Y:  224620  (OSGB36)

Summary

Part destroyed, hillslope fort located on steep NE-facing slope of Allt Ddu S of Llanfaes church. Slope levels to N but to S overlooked by steeply rising moorland. Measures c. 100m E-W by 60m, with internal area c. 0.58ha. Defined by earth and stone bank and ditch, with outer face to 4m at SW corner, forming an incomplete oval with shorter and less high bank within it standing to 2.2m above ditch. Counterscarp to outer ditch on W. The slighter earthworks now ploughed away but completed the circuit on the N. No entrance defined but possibly from N. SE gap through outer rampart probably modern. Streams affect ditch. Rough upland grass. Trees and scrub on banks. Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -379311  Y:  6784166  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.407405928620345  Latitude:  51.91164846311402  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Powys

Historic County:  Brecknockshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Llanfrynach

Monument Condition

Part-destroyed and repeatedly ploughed and N bank ploughed away. Affected by field walls.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

Rough upland grass. Trees and scrub on banks.

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

Part destroyed, hillslope fort located on steep NE-facing slope of Allt Ddu S of Llanfaes church. Slope levels to N but to S overlooked by steeply rising moorland.

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:  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

Small streams affected ditch.

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 defined, but possibly from N. SE gap through outer rampart probably modern. Hollow ways downslope to farmhouse to N uncertain.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
2:   SE gap modern

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Possible only.

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North):   None
1. Hollow Way (North):   Uncertain.

Enclosing Works

Defined by earth and stone bank and ditch, with outer face to 4m at SW corner, forming an incomplete oval with shorter and less high bank within it standing to 2.2m above ditch. Counterscarp to outer ditch on W. The slighter earthworks now ploughed away but completed the circuit on the N.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.58ha.
Total:   0.58ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   Banks unclear. Although ramparts do not form circuit now, aerial photographs show inner bank formed circuit in past as quadrants defined.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   2
SW Quadrant:   2
NW Quadrant:   1
Total:   2

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

Earth and stone bank. Counterscarp to outer ditch on W.

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:  2

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 28, 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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