Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA1892 Castell Llwyd, Meline, Pembrokeshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

Scroll left/right to view further images.

HER:  Dyfed 981 (None)

NMR:  SN 13 NW 19 (304048)

SM:  PE174(PEM)

NGR:  SN 1126 3762

X:  211260  Y:  237620  (OSGB36)

Summary

Bivallate inland promontory fort sited on SSE-facing promontory lower slopes directly above the Afon Nyfer, and one of a cluster of sites around a prominent hill and bend in the river and its confluence with the Afon Brynberian. Steep valley sides falling to 30m to E, S and W, moderate to N along spur. Roughly pear-shaped interior measuring c. 100m N-S by 70m with internal area c. 0.69ha. Natural defence on E, S and W, with double bank and ditch, c. 80m long, cutting off the promontory on the approachable N side. Inner rampart to 3m high internally and 5m above the ditch, the outer bank to 2m high internally and 1.3m externally, with no ditch visible. It is possible that this outer bank is in fact a counterscarp rather than a separate rampart, as suggested by Avent in 1981. Banks go to valley scarp edge on W side of rampart, but stop short on E where possible entrance. Stone circles suggested by RCHMW in 1925, now thought to be stone clearance. Interior under grass and bracken, bank under bracken and brambles. On 1st Ed. OS map (1889). Undated

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -528905  Y:  6800995  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.751237098112544  Latitude:  52.004810431243435  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Pembrokeshire

Historic County:  Pembrokeshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Eglwyswrw

Monument Condition

Quarrying and agricultural disturbance.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Grass and bracken in interior, ramparts under bracken and brambles. Quarrying.

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

Bivallate inland promontory fort sited on SSE-facing promontory lower slopes directly above the Afon Nyfer, and one of a cluster of sites around a prominent hill and bend in the river and its confluence with the Afon Brynberian. Steep valley sides falling to 30m to E, S and W, moderate to N along spur.

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:  Spur promontory

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

Altitude:  80.0m

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 (1889). Part Survey G.H. Williams 1969. Field Observation OS 1974. Field Observation AMB 1981. Field Observation CADW 1996. Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey 2006-2007. .

Investigations:
1st Identified Map Depiction (1889):   OS map.
Other (1969):   Field observation OS.
Other (1969):   Part survey G.H. Williams
Other (1981):   Field observation DAT.
Other (1996):   Field observation CADW.
Other (None):   Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey. .

Interior Features

None

Water Source

Afon Nyfer 0.1 km outside fort.

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

Banks go to valley scarp edge on W side of rampart, but stop short on E where possible entrance.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (North):   None

Enclosing Works

Natural defence on E, S and W, with double bank and ditch, c. 80m long, cutting off the promontory on the approachable N side. Inner rampart to 3m high internally and 5m above the ditch, the outer bank to 2m high internally and 1.3m externally, with no ditch visible. It is possible that this outer bank is in fact a counterscarp rather than a separate rampart, as suggested by Avent in 1981.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.69ha.
Total:   0.69ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   Area estimated.

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   0
SW Quadrant:   0
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:
✓   None

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Crossley, D.W. 1963. List of Hill-Forts and other earthworks in Pembrokeshire, Bull Board Celtic Stud, 20, 181.

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 SN03, SN13 and SN23. 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. 682.



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


Document Version 1.1