LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Gwynedd 1312 (None)
NMR: SH 45 SW 6 (93534)
SM: CN057
NGR: SH44805200
X: 244800 Y: 352000 (OSGB36)
Generally well-preserved, tear-drop shaped, contour hillfort occupying the flat top of a marked spur located above the Afon Llynfi to SE-SW. Steep surrounding slopes to E, S and SW to river. Measures c. 100m N-S by 80m with internal area c. 0.79ha. Ruinous interior wall, c. 3.3m thick is externally faced with slabs, outer face now 0.3m-0.6m high, but inner face can be seen. Outside this interior, neck of spur is cut off by two strong ramparts and ditches, with marked counterscarp bank. Trenching of inner rampart, 1887 (Barnwell) and 1939 (no details), showed it to be a ruined stone-walled bank. C. 2m outside outer face of this wall is second facing of rounded boulders, now standing two or three courses high, space between this and the first wall filled with rubble. Two entrances one at each end of the inner rampart across the neck on NE and W, seemingly simple passages 4m wide and approached along edge of promontory past ends of outer rampart. Possibly two periods of construction. Chance finds of three spindle whorls found in interior, which has been ploughed. Large ill-defined mound in interior possibly later. Interior pasture, surrounding banks wooded to NE, scrub elsewhere including on ramparts to SW and W. Generally well-preserved site, but interior wall badly ruined. On 1st Ed. OS map (1889). Undated.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -480511 Y: 6990894 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -4.316503895012734 Latitude: 53.042669139112924 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Wales
Current County or Unitary Authority: Gwynedd
Historic County: Caernarfonshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Llanllyfni
Generally well-preserved site, but interior wall badly ruined.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Interior pasture, surrounding banks wooded to NE, scrub elsewhere including on ramparts to SW and W.
| Woodland | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✓ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Contour hillfort occupying the flat top of a marked spury located above the Afon Llynfi to SE-SW. Steep surrounding slopes to E, S and SW to river.
| 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: Spur
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 63.0m
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 |
On 1st Ed. OS map (1889). Trenching of inner rampart, 1887 (E.L. Barnwell) and 1939 (no details). RCAHMW investigation 1955. Ordnance Survey observation 1972. GAT prehistoric defended enclosures survey 2004-2005.
| Excavation (1887): | E. L.Barnwell. |
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1889): | OS map. |
| Excavation (1939): | No details. |
| Other (1955): | RCAHMW investigation. |
| Other (1972): | Ordnance Survey observation. |
| Other (None): | GAT prehistoric defended enclosures survey. |
Chance finds of three spindle whorls (no details).
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 | ✗ |
Chance finds of three spindle whorls (no details).
| 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 entrances one at each end of the inner rampart across the neck on NE and W, seemingly simple passages 4m wide and approached along edge of promontory past ends of outer rampart
| 2: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (North east): | None |
| 1. Passage-way/Corridor (North east): | None |
| 2. Simple Gap (West): | None |
| 2. Passage-way/Corridor (West): | None |
Ruinous interior wall, c. 3.3m thick is externally faced with slabs, outer face now 0.3m-0.6m high, but inner face can be seen. Outside this interior, neck of promontory cut of at its neck by two strong ramparts and ditches, with marked counterscarp bank. Trenching of inner rampart, 1887 and 1939, showed it to be a ruined stone-walled bank. C. 2m outside outer face of this wall is second facing of rounded boulders, now standing two or three courses high, space between this and the first wall filled with rubble. 0.79ha.
| Area 1: | 0.79ha. |
| Total: | 0.79ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✓ | Possibly two periods of construction. |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 3 |
| Total: | 3 |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✓ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Stone-walled site. Marked counterscarp bank on NW.
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✗ |
| Stone Wall | ✓ |
| Rubble | ✓ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✓ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Trenching of inner rampart, 1887 and 1939, showed it to be a ruined stone-walled bank.
| 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 |
| ✓ | Two ditches to ramparts on NW. |
Number of Ditches: 2
| ✗ | None |
Barnwell, E. L. 1887. Craig-y-dinas, Arch Camb, 4th Series, 9, 217-221.
RCAHMW 1960. Caernarvonshire Vol II: Central, A survey and inventory by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire, No 1281, London: HMSO.
Smith, G. H. 2005 , A Survey of Prehistoric Defended Enclosures in North West Wales 2004-2005: West Conwy, Gwynedd (Arfon) and Anglesey, Bangor: Gwynedd Archaeological Trust.
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