Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1617 Cwm Bach, Wick, Glamorgan

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Glamorgan Gwent 00336m (None)

NMR:  SS 87 SE (None)

SM:  GM186

NGR:  SS898714

X:  289842  Y:  171457  (OSGB36)

Summary

Eroded, now triangular, small coastal promontory fort overlooking Traeth Bach beach and occupying area between cliff on SW and steep valley of Nant Cwm-bach to N. Very eroded on SW and now c. 60m from NW apex to bank on SE. Present area c. 3ha but more originally. Rampart with ditch and counterscarp traces c. 100m long in two curving sections to c. 3m high, with middle gap, with NE section aligned forward of that to SW. This oblique gap formed the entrance c. 14m wide. Roughly rectangular area delineated by slight bank to N between rampart and edge of cwm may be site of building or purely dumps when site constructed. Much erosion and nearly destroyed. Ploughed interior of improved pasture with scrub surrounds. On 1st Ed. OS map (1877). Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -399198  Y:  6697948  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.5860574195522874  Latitude:  51.43132503074684  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Vale of Glamorgan

Historic County:  Glamorgan

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Wick

Monument Condition

Much erosion and nearly destroyed. Ploughed interior.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

Improved pasture with scrub surrounds.

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

Eroded, now triangular, small coastal promontory site overlooking Traeth Bach beach and occupying area between cliff on SW and steep valley of Nant Cwm-bach to N.

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:  Coastal headland.

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

Altitude:  60.0m

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

On 1st Ed. OS map (1877). RCAHMW investigation 1961. GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey 2005.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1877):   OS map.
Other (1961):   RCAHMW investigation.
Other (2005):   GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey.

Interior Features

None

Water Source

Stream 0.1km 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

Oblique entrance through wide 14m gap between ramparts on SE.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Oblique (South east):   Oblique entrance.

Enclosing Works

Rampart with ditch and counterscarp traces c. 100m long in two curving sections to c. 3m high, with middle gap, with NE section aligned forward of that to SW.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.3ha.
Total:   0.3ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   Larger originally to c. 1ha.

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

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

Traces of counterscarp

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

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, 631, Cardiff: HMSO.

Savory, H.N. 1949. List of hill-forts in Wales, Bull Board of Celtic Stud, 13, 156.



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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