HER:  Gwynedd 443 (None)
NMR:  SH 33 SW 6 (93699)
SM:  CN221
NGR:  SH 3233 3147
X:  232330  Y:  331470  (OSGB36)
Small, sub-oval, multivallate inland promontory fort sited against steep, craggy slopes on S and W and at the edge of level ground on the E of a steep- sided valley. Opposite to Nant-y-Castell hillfort (Atlas No. 1679) above Llanbedrog and the beach. Surrounding slopes moderate on NE, steep on S and very steep/precipitous on W. Measures c. 76m NNE-SSW by 57m, with internal area 0.38ha. In angle formed by two cliffs on the W and S three lines of crescentric banks on the E and NE define site from main plateau. Innermost bank originally stone revetted. No ditch. Entrance on E. Scrub and bracken cover and recent wall make interpretation difficult and no interior features defined. Minimal investigations, undated. A
Citizen Science:  ✗
Reliability of Data:  Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed
X:  -500014  Y:  6956134  (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude:  -4.491702879135107  Latitude:  52.854525905050494  (EPSG:4326)
Country:  Wales
Current County or Unitary Authority:  Gwynedd
Historic County:  Caernarfonshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Llanbedrog
Probable fair condition.
| Extant   | ✓ |
| Cropmark   | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed   | ✗ |
Covered with scrub and bracken.
| Woodland   | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation   | ✗ |
| Parkland   | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing)   | ✗ |
| Arable   | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken   | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop   | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland   | ✗ |
| Heath   | ✗ |
| Built-up   | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
Small, sub-oval, multivallate inland promontory fort sited against steep, craggy slopes on S and W and at the edge of level ground on the E of a steep- sided valley. Opposite to Nant-y-Castell hillfort above Llanbedrog and the beach. Surrounding slopes moderate on NE, steep on S and very steep 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:  Promontory
| North   | ✗ |
| Northeast   | ✗ |
| East   | ✗ |
| Southeast   | ✗ |
| South   | ✗ |
| Southwest   | ✗ |
| West   | ✗ |
| Northwest   | ✗ |
| Level   | ✓ |
Altitude:  73.0m
N/A
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 1959. Ordnance Survey observation 1971. GAT investigation 1995. GAT Hut Circle Settlement Survey 1998. GAT prehistoric defended enclosures survey 2005-2005.
| Other (1959):   | RCAHMW investigation. |
| Other (1971):   | Ordnance Survey observation. |
| Other (1995):   | GAT investigatrion. |
| Other (1998):   | GAT Hut Circle Settlement Survey. |
| Other (None):   | GAT prehistoric defended enclosures survey. |
None
Possible on site supply.
| 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   | ✗ |
Simple gap entrance through ramparts on E.
| 1:   | None |
| 2:   | None |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:  ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (East):   | None |
In angle formed by two cliffs on the W and S three lines of crescentric banks on the E and NE define site from main plateau. Innermost bank originally stone revetted. No ditch.
| Area 1:   | 0.38ha. |
| Total:   | 0.38ha. |
Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.
None
| ✗   | None |
| ✗   | None |
| NE Quadrant:   | 3 |
| SE Quadrant:   | 3 |
| SW Quadrant:   | 0 |
| NW Quadrant:   | 0 |
| Total:   | 3 |
| Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
| Univallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate   | ✓ |
| Multivallate   | ✗ |
| Unknown   | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
| Univallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
| Multivallate   | ✗ |
Innermost bank originally stone revetted.
| 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 |
| ✗   | No ditch defined. |
Number of Ditches:  0
| ✗   | None |
Gwenogwryn, E. J. 1923. Castellmarch, Arch Camb, 78, 305.
RCAHMW 1964. Caernarvonshire Vol III: West, A survey and inventory by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire, No 1577, London: HMSO.
Smith, G. 1998. Hut Circle Settlement Survey, Unpublished survey report GAT, Bangor: Gwynedd Archaeological Trust.
Smith, G.H. 2006. A survey of prehistoric defended enclosures in north-west Wales 2005-2006: Gwynedd Dwyfor and Meirionnydd. Report No 634. Part I: Survey Report. Bangor: Gwynedd Archaeological Trust.
Waddington, K. 2013. The Settlements of Northwest Wales: From the Late Bronze Age to the Early Medieval Period, Cardiff: University of Wales Press.
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
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