Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1515 Tor-Gro, Glamorgan

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Glamorgan Gwent 00090w (None)

NMR:  SS 49 SE (400400)

SM:  None

NGR:  SS46109355

X:  246100  Y:  193550  (OSGB36)

Summary

Level terrain fort located on the highest point and near the E end of the rocky NE-facing Tor-gro ridge, just above Llanrhidian Marsh on the Gower, with the estuary of the River Loughor to N. Precipitous slopes to N, moderate to S. Modern field-boundary seems to follow crest of earlier bank, c. 6m wide and to 2m high on the SW side and running c.100m NW-SE-ESE, partly defining an enclosure, c.120m E-W by 40m, 0.4ha, with the steep, craggy cliffs to N providing defence. Thus, enclosure half oval in plan. Possible simple gap entrance, position not defined. Possible ditch runs NNW-SSE on W side of an area of outcropping, c.80m E of the given NGR. Several possible circular features here, most prominent, c.8.0m diameter, possibly associated with recumbent OS pillar within it; other features possibly natural. RCAHMW (1976, 24) suggests possibly unfinished, but damaged. Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -470271  Y:  6731640  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.224518032276287  Latitude:  51.619629962274786  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Swansea

Historic County:  Glamorgan

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Llangennith, Llanmadoc and Cheriton

Monument Condition

Damaged.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Pasture.

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

Leval terrain fort located on the highest point and near the E end of the rocky NE-facing Tor-gro ridge, just above Llanrhidian Marsh on the Gower, with the estuary of the River Loughor to N. Precipitous slopes to N, moderate to S.

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:  Rocky ridge

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

Altitude:  76.0m

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 1971. GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey 2005.

Investigations:
Other (1971):   RCAHMW investigation.
Other (2005):   GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey.

Interior Features

Several possible circular features here, most prominent, c.8.0m diameter, possibly associated with recumbent OS pillar within it; other features possibly natural.

Water Source

None

Source:
None   ✓
Spring   ✗
Stream   ✗
Pool   ✗
Flush   ✗
Well   ✗
Other   ✗

Surface

Several possible circular features here, most prominent, c.8.0m diameter, possibly associated with recumbent OS pillar within it; other features possibly natural.

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 simple gap entrance, position not defined.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   Number not defined.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (None):   Position not defined

Enclosing Works

Modern field-boundary seems to follow crest of earlier bank, c. 6m wide and to 2m high on the SW side and running c.100m NW-SE-ESE, partly defining an enclosure, c.120m E-W by 40m, with the steep, craggy cliffs to N providing defence. Possible ditch runs NNW-SSE on W side of an area of outcropping, c.80m E of the given NGR. Possibly unfinished.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.4ha.
Total:   0.4ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   Enclosure half oval in plan with no defensive line on N where cliffs.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   0
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   1
NW Quadrant:   0
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

Possibly unfinished.

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 ditch runs NNW-SSE on W side of an area of outcropping, c.80m E of the given NGR.

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Gerrard, C., Wiggins, H., and Evans, E. 2006. Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan with recommendations for fieldwork: Year 3 Report, GGAT Report No 2006/089, Project No GGAT78, Swansea: GGAT.

RCAHMW 1976. An inventory of the ancient monuments in Glamorgan, 1.2, Pre-Norman, Parts I-III, 622a, Cardiff: 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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