Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1813 Bulliber Camp, Pembrokeshire (Castle Lady Fort, Castlemartin; Buliber)

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Dyfed 549 (None)

NMR:  SR 99 NW (94106)

SM:  PE021(PEM)

NGR:  SR 9028 9662

X:  190280  Y:  196620  (OSGB36)

Summary

Fine, heavily enclosed, multivallate partial contour hillfort located on slight hillock on edge of moderate to strong SSW-facing slopes to Castle Lady Valley c. 10m below. Near Brownslade Burrows and the sea to W. Just to W of Warman's Hill fort (Atlas No 1811). Overlooked from N, but commanding and intimidating position guarding the access to the sea and landings W down the Castle Lady Valley. Moderate to strong surrounding slopes. Oval shaped measuring c. 74m E-W by 62m, with internal area 0.6ha. An inner bank and ditch encloses the fairly level interior for the complete circuit with entrance on N side. Three further outer banks and ditches to W, with entrance gap between them and passageway to inner gap on N. Three slighter outer banks and ditches lie on E side. To N and S sides scarped natural slopes. RCAHMW (Coflein) suggest 19th century reports of 'well made pottery' may suggest Romano-British, or post-Roman occupation. Interior pasture and banks were largely cleared of scrub by Defence Estates. Within MOD Firing Range Danger Area. On 1st Ed. OS map (1865). Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -560118  Y:  6733349  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -5.031630061443343  Latitude:  51.62916297219658  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Pembrokeshire

Historic County:  Pembrokeshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Castlemartin

Monument Condition

Good programme of scrub clearance by Defence Estates has cleared most of the ramparts. Within MOD Firing Range Danger Area with notices for access times.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

None

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

Located on the slopes of Castle Lady valley near Brownslade Burrows and the sea.

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:  Small hillock.

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

Altitude:  25.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Undated but RCAHMW suggest 19th century reports of 'well made pottery' may suggest Romano-British, or post-Roman occupation.

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 (1865). Field Observation OS 1965. Field Obseervation CADW 1999, 2002. Field Observation DAT 2004. Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey 2006-2007.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1865):   OS map.
Other (1965):   Field observation OS.
Other (2005):   Field observation DAT.
Other (None):   Field observation CADW.
Other (None):   Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey.

Interior Features

RCAHMW suggest nineteenth century reports of 'well made pottery' may suggest Romano-British, or post-Roman occupation.

Water Source

None

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

Nineteenth century reports of 'well made pottery'.

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

W entrance through outer two banks with a passageway to gap through the inner bank to N.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Passage-way/Corridor (West):   None

Enclosing Works

An inner bank and ditch encloses the fairly level interior for the complete circuit. Three further outer banks and ditches to W. Three slighter outer banks and ditches lie on E side. To N and S sides scarped natural slopes.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.6ha.
Total:   0.6ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   4
SE Quadrant:   4
SW Quadrant:   4
NW Quadrant:   4
Total:   4

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:  4

Annex:
✗   None

References

Crossley, D.W. 1963. List of Hill-Forts and other earthworks in Pembrokeshire, Bull Board Celtic Stud, 20, 187.

Driver, T. 2007. Pembrokeshire Historic Landscapes from the Air, Figures 11, 39 and 322, Aberystwyth: RCAHMW.

Murphy, K., Ramsey, R., Poucher, P. and Page, M. 2007. A Survey of Defended Enclosures in Pembrokeshire, 2006-2007: Gazetteer of Ordnance Survey Grid Squares SR89, SR99, SS09 and SS19, Cambria Archaeology Report No. 2007/01, Project Record No. 54269, Llandeilo: Cambria Archaeology.

RCAMWM 1925. An inventory of the ancient monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire, VII, County of Pembroke, London: HMSO, No. 143.



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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