Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1804 Caerau, Llantrisant, Glamorgan (Rhiw Season Caerau)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Glamorgan Gwent 00619m (None)

NMR:  ST 08 SE 1 (93037)

SM:  GM065

NGR:  ST06458320

X:  306450  Y:  183200  (OSGB36)

Summary

Large, multivallate, contour hillfort sited on a very prominent, rounded, summit of hill above the Afon Clun near its confluence with the Afon Ely. Steep surrounding slopes on S, moderate to strong elsewhere. Two close-set banks and ditches with counterscarp once existed for most of circuit, but most of well-preserved NE defences destroyed in 1960's and counterscarp and outer ditch mostly gone. On far S side outer bank absent and inner continued along crest of the steep slope and now levelled. Inturned SE entrance passage, c. 7.5m wide, through both banks which diverge to produce space of c. 0.3ha between. Counterscarp and ditch seem absent near entrance. Improved pasture. On 1st Ed. OS map (1874-5). Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -372958  Y:  6717352  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.3503394467784946  Latitude:  51.53987341626298  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Rhondda Cynon Taff

Historic County:  Glamorgan

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Llantrisant

Monument Condition

Much destroyed on NE in 1960's and S sides levelled. Counterscarp and outer ditch mostly gone.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

Improved pasture.

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

Large multivallate contour hillfort sited on a very prominent rounded hill summit above the Afon Clun near its confluence with the Afon Ely. Steep surrounding slopes on S, moderate to strong elsewhere.

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:  Hill top

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

Altitude:  167.0m

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 (1874-5). RCAHMW investigation 965. GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey 2005.

Investigations:
Other (1965):   RCAHMW investigation.
Other (2005):   GGAT survey.
1st Identified Map Depiction (None):   OS map.

Interior Features

None

Water Source

Stream 0.5km outside fort. Small pond in interior modern.

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

Inturned SE entrance passage, c. 7.5m wide, through both banks which diverge to produce space of c. 0.3ha between. Counterscarp and ditch seem absent near entrance. Odd gaps through banks elsewhere modern.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
5:   Odd gaps through banks.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. In-turned (South east):   Through both banks.
1. Passage-way/Corridor (South east):   None

Enclosing Works

Two close-set banks and ditches with counterscarp once existed for most of circuit, but well-preserved NE defences destroyed in 1960's and counterscarp and outer ditch mostly gone. On far S side outer bank absent and inner continued along crest of the steep slope and now levelled.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   3.6ha.
Total:   3.6ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   Outer defences on NE mostly destroyed, but existed before 1960's.

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:
✓   Outer ditch mostly gone.

Number of Ditches:  2

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, Vol I: Pre-Norman, Part II The Iron Age and the Roman occupation, No. 672, Cardiff: HMSO.

Savory, H.N. 1949. List of hill-forts and other earthworks in Wales, Bull Board Celtic Stud, 13, 154.



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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