Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1476 Pen-y-Gaer, Bettws-Cedewain, Montgomeryshire (y Pegwn)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Clwyd Powys 1032 (None)

NMR:  SO 19 NW (306224)

SM:  MG155(POW)

NGR:  SO13979762

X:  313970  Y:  297620  (OSGB36)

Summary

Prominent, oval, univallate contour hillfort sited on a knoll on a NE-SW ridge in the hills above River Severn in an area of clusters of small hillforts. Opposite to Lower Ucheldre. Surrounding slopes steep or very steep to N and S, moderate to strong to E and W. Measures 174m NE-SW by 80m, with internal area 1.2ha. Bank and ditch visible on SW and just on NE and vestiges of counterscarp on these sides also. Elsewhere much eroded to scarps. References to three banks in antiquity - no details, but possible vestige of inner bank near entrance at NE and possible inner and outer traces on SW. Possible NE entrance. On OS 1:25,000 map (1937-1961). Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -364103  Y:  6903770  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.270789320049598  Latitude:  52.569550387979355  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Powys

Historic County:  Montgomeryshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Bettws

Monument Condition

Much eroded to scarps in part.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Pasture. Line of trees follows NW quadrant. Wooded in 19th century.

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

Prominent, oval, univallate contour hillfort sited on a knoll on a NE-SW ridge in the hills above River Severn in an area of clusters of small hillforts.

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

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

Altitude:  299.0m

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

References to three banks in antiquity - no details. On OS 1:25,000 map (1937-1961). Investigation by RCAHMW 1909. Investigation by CPAT 1978 and 1991. CPAT Montgomeryshire Small enclosures project 1990-97.

Investigations:
Other (1909):   RCAHMW investigation.
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   None
Other (None):   CPAT investigations.
Other (None):   PAT Montgomeryshire Small enclosures project.
1st Identified Written Reference (None):   Reference in antiquity - no details.

Interior Features

None

Water Source

Stream 0.4km outside fort.

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 NE entrance.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
2:   Slight gap to SE.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North east):   Type estimated.

Enclosing Works

Bank and ditch visible on SW and just on NE and vestiges of counterscarp on these sides also. Elsewhere much eroded to scarps. References to three banks in antiquity - no details, but possible vestige of inner bank near entrance at NE and possible inner and outer traces on SW.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   1.2ha.
Total:   1.2ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   Banks unclear. It is possible that the site had three ramparts, and vestiges to NE and SW.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   2
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   3
NW Quadrant:   1
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

Counterscarp to SW and trace to NE.

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

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. 31, 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.

Spurgeon, C.J. 1972. Enclosures of Iron Age type in the Upper Severn Basin, In Lynch, F. and Burgess, C. (eds.) 1972, Prehistoric man in Wales and the West, 333, 28, Bath: Adams and Dart.



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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