Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1873 Castlemartin Castle, Pembrokeshire (Martine Castel)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Dyfed 564 (None)

NMR:  SR 99 NW (305415)

SM:  PE166(PEM)

NGR:  SR 9152 9840

X:  191520  Y:  198400  (OSGB36)

Summary

Possible, bivallate, contour hillfort located on crest of rounded knoll at Castlemartin. Moderate surrounding slopes. Often thought of as medieval site, an earlier enclosure is possible as occupies suitable site and despite mutilation, banks rise to 1m above interior and c. 4m above ditch. Sub-oval in shape measuring c. 60m by 70m with internal area c. 0.5ha. Surrounded by bank and ditch, latter as slight depression. Levelled on E side, where possible entrance. Possible second bank c. 20m distant from concentric with inner bank on E side. Ploughed down to N and S and built over on E. Concentric field boundary outside this bank possible third line. Improved pasture with some scrub on banks. Military installation on N edge. On 1st Ed. OS map (1865). Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Unconfirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Unconfirmed

Location

X:  -558245  Y:  6736298  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -5.014800750721107  Latitude:  51.64560650093981  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Pembrokeshire

Historic County:  Pembrokeshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Castlemartin

Monument Condition

Mutilated and some banks lost to plough.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Military installation on N edge. Improved pasture with some scrub on banks.

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

Possible, bivallate, contour hillfort located on crest of rounded knoll at Castlemartin. Surrounding slopes moderate.

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:  55.0m

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:   Possible medieval site. Military installation on N edge.

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

On 1st Ed. OS map (1865). Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey 2006-2007. Field Observation OS 1965. Field Observation AMB 1981. Field Observation CADW 1993.

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1865):   OS map.
Other (1965):   Field observation OS.
Other (1981):   Field observation AMB.
Other (1993):   Field observation CADW.
Other (None):   Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey.

Interior Features

None

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

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

Levelled on E side, where possible entrance, simple gap.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Conjecture only.

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (East):   Type conjecture.

Enclosing Works

Surrounded by bank and ditch, latter as slight depression. Levelled on E side, where possible entrance. Possible second bank c. 20m distant from concentric with inner bank on E side. Ploughed down to N and S and built over on E. Concentric field boundary outside this bank possible third line.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.5ha.
Total:   0.5ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   Possible second bank c. 20m distant from concentric with inner bank on E side. Ploughed down to N and S and built over on E. Concentric field boundary outside this bank possible third line. Not included in quadrants.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   1
NW Quadrant:   1
Total:   1

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:
✓   Slight depression to outer of inner bank.

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

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.



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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