Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Dyfed 2986 (None)
NMR: SM 80 NW (95060)
SM: PE322(PEM)
NGR: SM 8212 0521
X: 182120 Y: 205210 (OSGB36)
Large and important coastal promontory fort located on ESE-facing headland dominating the entrance to Milford Haven opposite to Castles Bay fort. Controls the neck of St. Ann's Head seemingly in tandem with Great Castle Head at Dale (Atlas N. 1998). Castlebeach Bay to S. Sea cliffs to N, E and S, level to moderate along neck of headland to W. The promontory, c. 316m in depth, cut off by two ramparts with medial ditch for c. 68m, giving an internal area c. 4ha. Excavations to c. 1975 on entrance area found complex phases of development. Firstly late Bronze Age timber palisades and stone revetted bank followed by Iron Age bank with internal stonework. Outside bank was a deep ditch. Simple gap entrance in middle of rampart but gate massive. Stone revetment uncovered and still visible. Internally rectangular feature and trackway excavated on steeply sloping ground (Benson and Ramsey 1992). Four C14 dates varying between 845 cal. BC to 55 cal. AD and one later at 990 cal. AD to 1255 cal. AD. Bronze Age beaker pottery and pre-fort structures found suggest early Bronze Age settlement overlain by existing Iron Age ramparts and associated occupation (Benson and Williams 1987). Romano-British material also found indicating long use of site. Possible medieval activity and substantial 19th century fort with associated access road to it occupies the point of the promontory. Under coastal grassland. On 1st Ed. OS map (1875).
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -573819 Y: 6746634 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -5.154701334967598 Latitude: 51.703180937208515 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Wales
Current County or Unitary Authority: Pembrokeshire
Historic County: Pembrokeshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Dale
Substantially affected by 19th. century fort with associated access road to it. Dale Point Field Centre.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✓ |
Built-over coastal grassland. Substantial 19th. century fort with associated access road to it occupies the point of the promontory. Dale Point Field Centre.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✓ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✓ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
Large and important coastal promontory fort located on ESE-facing headland dominating the entrance to Milford Haven opposite to Castles Bay fort. Controls the neck of St Ann's Head seemingly in tandem with Gt. Castle Head at Dale. Castlebeach Bay to S. Sea cliffs to N, E and S, level to moderate along neck of headland to W.
| 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: Coastal headland
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✓ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 20.0m
N/A
Bronze Age Beaker pottery, with four C14 dates varying between 845 cal. BC to 55 cal. AD and one later at 990 cal. AD to 1255 cal. AD, suggest late Bronze Age settlement overlain by existing Iron Age ramparts and associated occupation. Romano-British material also found indicating long use of site.
Reliability: B - Medium
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✓ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✓ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✓ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✓ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
| Artefactual: | Beaker pottery. |
| C14: | Four C14 dates varying between 845 cal. BC to 55 cal. AD and one later at 990 cal. AD to 1255 cal. AD. |
On 1st Ed. OS map (1875). Part Excavation by Grimes W.F.1966-1983. Field Observation OS 1965, 1975. Field observation AMB 1981. Field Observation DAT 1994, 1997. Part excavation DAT 1987, 1992. Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey 2006-2007.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1875): | OS map. |
| Other (None): | Field observation OS. |
| Excavation (None): | W.F. Grimes. |
| Excavation (None): | DAT. |
| Other (None): | Field observation DAT. |
| Other (None): | Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey. |
Internally rectangular feature and trackway excavated on steeply sloping ground (Benson and Ramsey 1992). Bronze Age Beaker pottery, Romano-British material.
Stream 0.4km outside fort.
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| No Known Features | ✓ |
| Round Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms | ✗ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Internally rectangular feature and trackway excavated on steeply sloping ground (Benson and Ramsey 1992).
| 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 | ✗ |
Bronze Age Beaker pottery.
| No Known Finds | ✗ |
| Pottery | ✓ |
| Metal | ✓ |
| Metalworking | ✗ |
| Human Bones | ✗ |
| Animal Bones | ✗ |
| Lithics | ✗ |
| Environmental | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
NO APPARENT FEATURES
| APs Not Checked | ✓ |
| None | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Postholes | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Simple gap entrance in middle of rampart, but gate massive.
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (West): | Massive gate. |
The promontory, c. 316m in depth, cut off by two ramparts with medial ditch for c. 68m. Firstly late Bronze Age timber palisades and stone revetted bank followed by Iron Age bank with internal stonework. Outside bank was a deep ditch. Stone revetment uncovered and still visible.
| Area 1: | 4.0ha. |
| Total: | 4.0ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✓ | Excavations to c. 1975 on entrance area found complex phases of development. |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 1 |
| Total: | 1 |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Stone revetment uncovered and still visible.
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✓ |
| Stone Wall | ✓ |
| Rubble | ✗ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Firstly late Bronze Age timber palisades and stone revetted bank followed by Iron Age bank with internal stonework. Stone revetment uncovered and still visible.
| 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 |
| ✓ | Medial ditch. |
Number of Ditches: 1
| ✗ | None |
Benson, D.G. and Williams, G.H. 1987. Dale promontory fort, Arch in Wales, 27, 43.
Benson, D.G. and Ramsey, R. 1992. Dale promontory fort, Arch in Wales, 32), 68-9.
Crossley, D.W. 1963. List of Hill-Forts and other earthworks in Pembrokeshire, Bull Board Celtic Stud, 20, 176.
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 SM70 and SM80, Cambria Archaeology Report No. 2007/01, Project Record No. 54269, Llandeilo: Cambria Archaeology.
RCAMWM 1925: Pembrokeshire Inventory No. 214; RCAMWM 1925. An inventory of the ancient monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire, VII, County of Pembroke, London: HMSO, No. 214.
Rees, S. 1992. A guide to ancient and historic Wales - Dyfed, London: HMSO, 78-9.
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