LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Glamorgan Gwent 00327s (None)
NMR: ST 07 SW 2 (301328)
SM: GM182
NGR: ST02147446
X: 302140 Y: 174460 (OSGB36)
Roughly oval possible multiple enclosure hillslope fort on steep slopes above the River Thaw in Llanquian Wood. Moderate to strong surrounding slopes, gentler to NW, with a steeper fall into a small dry valley on W. Crag on NW part of outer defensive line. Site c. 180m diameter in total. Two widely-spaced lines of defence. c. 15-40m apart. Oval inner enclosure c. 140m NE-SW, by 87m, area of 1.0ha internal area with bank on E and S up to 1.4m high and 5-11m wide. Ditch on SE only to 0.5m deep and 6m wide. On N, W and SW bank replaced by scarp to 2m high and ditch absent. Two possible entrances: narrow gap in SW and wider gap scarp on NW. Almost circular outer enclosure c. 165m diameter, with internal area of 2.2ha. Bank on E and S to 11m wide and 1.5m high with ditch to 6m wide and 0.5m deep. On NE and W bank replaced by scarp to 2m high and to 6m wide running diagonally downhill across the contours, and on NW defence is a natural crag. Two entrances: a sunken gap c. 3.5m wide on SW opposite corresponding gap in the inner bank, and on W possible gap, from which trackway ascends the hill to entrance through the inner bank c. 40m further to N. No internal features. Wooded site. Later quarrying damaged and limekiln remains. Minimal investigations, undated.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -379604 Y: 6703173 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -3.4100400522397933 Latitude: 51.46057869900917 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Wales
Current County or Unitary Authority: Vale of Glamorgan
Historic County: Glamorgan
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Cowbridge With Llanblethian
Modern damage in places. Later quarrying damage and limekiln remains in quarry between two defensive lines. Quarry obliterated counterscarp of outer ditch on SE.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✓ |
Heavily overgrown on E and S. Quarrying and limekiln.
| Woodland | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
Roughly oval multiple enclosure hillslope fort on steep slopes above the River Thaw. in Llanquian Wood. Moderate to strong surrounding slopes, gentler to NW, with a steeper fall into a small dry valley on 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: Hillslope
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✓ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 90.0m
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 1963. GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey 2005.
| Other (1963): | RCAHMW survey. |
| Other (2005): | GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey. |
Chance find of rotary quern 1963.
Stream 0.1km outside fort.
| 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 | ✗ |
Chance find of rotary quern 1963.
| 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 | ✗ |
Two possible entrances through inner enclosure: a narrow gap in SW and wider gap scarp on NW. Two possible entrances through outer bank: a sunken gap c. 3.5m wide on SW opposite corresponding gap in the inner bank, and on W possible gap, from which trackway ascends the hill to entrance through the inner bank c. 40m further to N.
| 8: | Four gaps on E and S modern. |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (South west): | Narrow gap through inner bank. |
| 2. Simple Gap (North west): | Wider gap through inner bank. |
| 3. Hollow Way (South west): | Sunken gap through outer bank. |
| 4. Simple Gap (West): | Possible gap, from which trackway ascends the hill to entrance through the inner bank c. 40m further to N. |
Oval inner enclosure c. 140m NE-SW, by 87m, area of 1.0ha internal area with bank on E and S up to 1.4m high and 5-11m wide. Ditch on SE only to 0.5m deep and 6m wide. On N, W and SW bank replaced by scarp to 2m high and ditch absent. Almost circular outer enclosure c. 165m diameter, with internal area of 2.2ha. Bank on E and S to 11m wide and 1.5m high with ditch to 6m wide and 0.5m deep. On NE and W bank replaced by scarp to 2m high and to 6m wide running diagonally downhill across the contours, and on NW defence is a natural crag.
| Area 1: | 1.0ha. |
| Area 2: | 2.2ha. |
| Total: | 2.2ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SW Quadrant: | 2 |
| NW Quadrant: | 2 |
| Total: | 2 |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✓ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
None
| 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 | ✗ |
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | 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, 695, Cardiff: HMSO.
Savory, H.N. 1949. List of hill-forts in Wales, Bull Board of Celtic Stud, 13, 158.
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