LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Glamorgan Gwent 00140w (None)
NMR: SS 48 NW 21 (94717)
SM: GM470
NGR: SS41448734
X: 241440 Y: 187340 (OSGB36)
Coastal promontory fort sited on rocky, irregular shaped, S-facing headland dominating Fall Bay to W and Mewslade Bay to the E on the Gower. Ground falls from inland N and then rises before precipitous sea cliffs to the S, this saddle of ground sheltered from the S and W. This is crossed by two sets of defences enclosing c. 0.38ha. Inner has low bank with N ditch c. 5.5m wide and c. 1m high overall where best, running ESE, then turns at right angle to rocky cliff edge. The outer rampart has two more or less equal banks with ditch in-between, the outer of these possibly a counterscarp rather than outer rampart as such. This line is separated from the inner rampart by c. 12m. Although curvilinear in shape, it seems to be constructed in short straight lengths and could be evidence of gang working. Entrance through both ramparts are simple gaps c. 3.5m wide sited about 30m from W cliff edge. Coastal grassland. Fair condition, but coast eroding. Minimal investigations, undated.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -477446 Y: 6721411 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -4.288968051305985 Latitude: 51.562543166208656 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Wales
Current County or Unitary Authority: Swansea
Historic County: Glamorgan
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Rhossili
Fair condition, but coast eroding.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Coastal grassland and bare rock.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✓ |
| Other | ✗ |
Coastal promontory fort sited on rocky, irregular shaped, S-facing headland dominating Fall Bay to W and Mewslade Bay to the E on the Gower. Ground falls from inland N and then rises before precipitous sea cliffs to the S,this saddle of ground sheltered from the S and W.
| Contour Fort | ✗ |
| Partial Contour Fort | ✗ |
| Promontory Fort | ✓ |
| Hillslope Fort | ✗ |
| Level Terrain Fort | ✗ |
| Marsh Fort | ✗ |
| Multiple Enclosure Fort | ✗ |
| Hilltop | ✗ |
| Coastal Promontory | ✓ |
| Inland Promontory | ✗ |
| Valley Bottom | ✗ |
| Knoll/Hillock/Outcrop | ✗ |
| Ridge | ✗ |
| Cliff/Plateau-edge/Scarp | ✗ |
| Hillslope | ✗ |
| Lowland | ✗ |
| Spur | ✗ |
Dominant Topographic Feature: Coastal headland
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 48.0m
N/A
None
Reliability: D - None
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
RCAHMW investigation 1967. GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey 2005.
| Other (1967): | RCAHMW investigation. |
| Other (1986): | Visited by Hillfort Study Group |
| Other (2005): | GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey. |
None
None
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| No Known Features | ✓ |
| Round Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms | ✗ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| No Known Excavation | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
None
| No Known Geophysics | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
None
| No Known Finds | ✓ |
| Pottery | ✗ |
| Metal | ✗ |
| Metalworking | ✗ |
| Human Bones | ✗ |
| Animal Bones | ✗ |
| Lithics | ✗ |
| Environmental | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| APs Not Checked | ✓ |
| None | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Entrance through both ramparts are simple gaps c. 3.5m wide sited about 30m from W cliff edge.
| 2: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (South west): | Through inner rampart. |
| 2. Simple Gap (South west): | Through outer rampart. |
Saddle of ground crossed by two sets of defences enclosing c. 0.38ha. Inner has low bank with N ditch c. 5.5m wide and c. 1m high overall where best, running ESE, then turns at right angle to rocky cliff edge. The outer rampart has two more or less equal banks with ditch in-between, the outer of these possibly a counterscarp rather than outer rampart as such. This line is separated from the inner rampart by c. 12m. Although curvilinear in shape, it seems to be constructed in short straight lengths and could be evidence of gang working.
| Area 1: | 0.38ha. |
| Total: | 0.38ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | Outer rampart has two more or less equal banks with ditch in-between, the outer of these possibly a counterscarp rather than outer rampart and defined as such. |
| NE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 0 |
| NW Quadrant: | 2 |
| Total: | 2 |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✓ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Outer rampart has two more or less equal banks with ditch in-between, the outer of these possibly a counterscarp rather than outer rampart as such.
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✓ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Rubble | ✗ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✓ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✗ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Murus Duplex | ✗ |
| Timber-framed | ✗ |
| Timber-laced | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| No Known Excavation | ✓ |
| Other | ✗ |
| ✓ | Although curvilinear in shape, outer line seems to be constructed in short straight lengths and could be evidence of gang working. |
| ✓ | None |
Number of Ditches: 2
| ✗ | None |
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, 697, Cardiff: HMSO.
Atlas of Hillforts:
Wikidata:
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