LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Dyfed 952 (None)
NMR: SN 13 NW (94989)
SM: PE175(PEM)
NGR: SN11723905
X: 211720 Y: 239050 (OSGB36)
Multivallate partial contour hillfort located on the scarp edge overlooking the Nant Duad, a stream tributary of the Afon Nyfer. Steep or moderate to strong surrounding slopes to N, E and W, moderate on S. The subject of extensive excavations and investigation by Harold Mytum since 1980. Reconstructions of roundhouses and structures on the site and now part of public education and interpretation by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park who own the site. Oval shape measures c. 88m SE-NW by 74m, with internal area 0.51ha. Large inner bank and ditch and smaller outer bank on the gentler N side. On the steep SE and SW there is a slight bank with terracing below to create the illusion of massive works. Palisades are a feature. Later Romano-British annexe to the NW. Impressive W entrance, begun in 5th century BC as long stone-walled passage with timber posts of large gate partly built of stone with bridge over and recessed guard chambers. Later re-built and burnt. Visible chevaux-de-frise to one side which was superceeded by later bank and ditch. Evidence from Iron Age through to Romano-British period. 18 C14 dates suggest hillfort began c. 410 BC to 375 BC, ending c. 380 BC to 190 BC. 15 diagnostic La Tne brooches. Much evidence uncovered of day to day functions of the site, which probably supported a wealthy farming community, including metalworking. Many slingstones found. Evidence of late Roman or post Roman activity. Well-preserved and managed public site with wooded surrounds. On 1st Ed. OS map (1889).
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -528248 Y: 6803346 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -4.745329930416097 Latitude: 52.01780885092944 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Wales
Current County or Unitary Authority: Pembrokeshire
Historic County: Pembrokeshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Nevern
Well-preserved. Reconstructions of roundhouses and structures on the site and now part of public education interpretation by the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park who own the site.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Public site with wooded surrounds. Reconstructions.
| Woodland | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✓ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
Multivallate partial contour hillfort located on the scarp edge overlooking the Nant Duad, a stream tributary of the Afon Nyfer. Steep or moderate to strong surrounding slopes to N, E and W, moderate on S.
| 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: 68.0m
N/A
Evidence from Iron Age through to Romano-British period. 18 C14 dates suggest hillfort began c. 410 BC to 375 BC, ending c. 380 BC to 190BC (Horn Forthcoming). 15 diagnostic La Tne brooches.
Reliability: A - High
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✓ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✓ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✓ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
| Artefactual: | 15 diagnostic La Tène brooches. |
| C14: | 18 C14 dates suggest hillfort began c. 410 BC to 375 BC, ending c. 380 BC to 190 BC. |
| Morphology/Earthwork/Typology: | Romano-Britsh annexe. |
On 1st Ed. OS map (1889). Field Observation OS 1966. Full Survey G.H. Williams 1969. Excavation H. Mytum 1980- present. Field Observation AMB 1981. Field Observation CADW 1996. Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey 2006-2007.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1889): | OS map. |
| Other (1966): | Field observation OS |
| Other (1969): | Full survey G.H. Williams. |
| Other (1981): | Field observation AMB. |
| Other (1996): | Field observation CADW. |
| Other (2011): | Visited by Hillfort Study Group |
| Excavation (None): | H. Mytum, University of York. |
Much evidence uncovered of day to day functions of the site, which probably supported a wealthy farming community, including metalworking. Many slingstones found. 15 diagnostic La Tne brooches.
Stream 0.01km outside fort.
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Much of site now excavated and interpreted for public including reconstructed roundhouses and other structures.
| No Known Features | ✗ |
| Round Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms | ✗ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
Much evidence uncovered of day to day functions of the site, which probably supported a wealthy farming community, including metalworking. Pits.
| 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 | ✗ |
15 diagnostic La Tne brooches. Many slingstones found.
| 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 | ✗ |
Impressive W entrance, begun in 5th century BC as long stone-walled passage with timber posts of large gate partly built of stone with bridge over and recessed guard chambers. Later re-built and burnt. Visible chevaux-de-frise to one side which was superceded by later bank and ditch.
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✓
Chevaux de Frise: ✓
Recessed guard chambers. Fine chevaux-de-frise visible to one side of entrance.
| 1. Passage-way/Corridor (West): | Long stone-walled passage. |
| 1. Recesses/Guard Chambers (West): | None |
Large inner bank and ditch and smaller outer bank on the gentler N side. On the steep SE and SW there is a slight bank with terracing below to create the illusion of massive works. Palisades are a feature.
| Area 1: | 0.51ha. |
| Total: | 0.51ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 2 |
| Total: | 2 |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✓ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
None
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✓ |
| Stone Wall | ✓ |
| Rubble | ✓ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✓ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Palisades determined as feature of site.
| 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 |
| ✓ | None |
Number of Ditches: 1
| ✓ | Later Romano-British annexe to the NW. |
Crossley, D.W. 1963. List of Hill-Forts and other earthworks in Pembrokeshire, Bull Board Celtic Stud, 20, 185.
Horn, J. Forthcoming. The dating of hillforts in Britain and Ireland. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Edinburgh.
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 S03, SN13 and SN23, Cambria Archaeology Report No. 2007/01, Project Record No. 54269, Llandeilo: Cambria Archaeology.
Mytum, H. 1989. Excavation at Castell Henllys, 1981-1989; the Iron Age fort, Arch in Wales, 29, 6-10.
Mytum, H. 1996. Hillfort siting and monumentality: Castell Henllys and geographical information systems, Arch in Wales, 36, 3-10.
Mytum, H. 1999. Castell Henllys, Current Arch, 161, 164-72.
Mytum H. 2013. Monumentality in later prehistory: building and rebuilding Castell Henllys Hillfort. Springer Books.
RCAMWM 1925. An inventory of the ancient monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire, VII, County of Pembroke, London: HMSO, No. 770.
Rees, S. 1992. A guide to ancient and historic Wales - Dyfed, London: HMSO, 61-2.
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