Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1624 Llantrithyd Camp, Glamorgan (Llantrithyd House)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Glamorgan Gwent 00346s (None)

NMR:  ST 07 SW 22 (301300)

SM:  None

NGR:  ST03867318

X:  303860  Y:  173180  (OSGB36)

Summary

Oval bivallate hillslope fort located on moderate SE slopes above the headwaters of the River Thaw 0.7 km away to the SW. Measures c. 67m NW-SE by 80m, with internal area c. 0.4ha. Two close-set banks and ditches c. 20m overall, inner, at up to 0.6m high, lower than outer, at up to 0.9m high. Entrance possibly simple gap on NW. Banks run to field from outer ditch either side entrance, that to N of entrance with ditch, but whether they are contemporary with enclosure uncertain. Low disturbed banks in interior possibly three or four oval or rectangular buildings 6m-9m diameter, but their date uncertain. Chance finds include 2nd - 4th century AD pottery and fragment of rotary quern. Ramparts ploughed-down generally, especially on E side, and cut into by old quarry and hedge-bank on SE. Pasture with odd trees to S and W. Minimal investigations.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -376810  Y:  6701170  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.3849413172375664  Latitude:  51.44936772691608  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Vale of Glamorgan

Historic County:  Glamorgan

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Llancarfan

Monument Condition

Ramparts ploughed-down generally, especially on E side, and cut into by old quarry and hedge-bank on SE.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

Pasture. Odd trees to S and W. Old quarry.

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

Oval bivallate hillslope fort located on moderate SE slopes above the headwaters of the River Thaw 0.7 km away to the SW.

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:  Hillslope

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

Altitude:  95.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Chance finds of Romano-British 2nd - 4th century AD pottery and fragment of rotary quern.

Reliability:  C - Low

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:
Artefactual:   None

Investigation History

RCAMHW investigation 1967. GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey 2005.

Investigations:
Other (1967):   RCAHMW investigation.
Other (2005):   GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey.

Interior Features

Low disturbed banks in interior possibly three or four oval or rectangular buildings 6m-9m diameter, but their date uncertain. Finds include 2nd - 4th century pottery and fragment of rotary quern.

Water Source

Stream 0.7km outside fort.

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

Surface

Low disturbed banks in interior possibly three or four oval or rectangular buildings 6-9m diameter, but their date uncertain.

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

Finds include 2nd - 4th century pottery and fragment of rotary quern.

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

Entrance possibly simple gap on NW.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North west):   None

Enclosing Works

Two close-set banks and ditches c. 20m overall, inner, at up to 0.6m high, lower than outer, at up to 0.9m high. Banks run to field from outer ditch either side entrance, that to N of entrance with ditch, but whether they are contemporary with enclosure uncertain. 0.4ha.

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:
✓   Ramparts ploughed down on E side, but would have been initially two banks as on the W side.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   2
SE Quadrant:   2
SW Quadrant:   2
NW Quadrant:   2
Total:   2

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

None

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:  2

Annex:
✗   None

References

RCAHMW 1976: Glamorgan Inventory 1.2, No. 682.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, 682, 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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