Satellite Imagery
Satellite Imagery
HER: Dyfed 3128 (None)
NMR: SM 81 NE (305331)
SM: PE265(PEM)
NGR: SM 8597 1527
X: 185970 Y: 215270 (OSGB36)
Severely eroded coastal promontory fort located on W-facing headland of Black Point dominating St Bride's Bay from Rickets Head to Borough Head, including landings at Nolton, Druidston and Little Haven. Steep sea cliffs to NW, SW and W, moderate landward to E. Actively eroding and subsiding, especially to SW, and much lost by 1st Ed. OS 1:2500 map of 1889, when curving bank c. 120m long with ditch shown to N and E, with entrance at E end, where now deep fissure. Rocky and eroding interior now measures c. 92m by 38m, with internal area c. 0.26ha and hazardous to visit. In places, the bank of shattered stone is still to 5m above the ditch and over 3m high internally. Chevaux de frise, formerly visible below bank, now gone. Rev J. Phillips part excavated site (reported in 1897), apparently in central area, investigating two stone-built, contiguous circular structures and finding two pottery sherds of contrasting fabric, the finer, of a 'deep yellow'/orange fabric, thought to have been hand made, along with two 'rough' spindle-whorls, ox bones and shells. Much cut into by sea and gradually being lost. Coastal grassland, scrub and much bare rock. On 1st Ed. OS map (1889). Undated.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -568315 Y: 6763140 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -5.105263698658079 Latitude: 51.79498230397474 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Wales
Current County or Unitary Authority: Pembrokeshire
Historic County: Pembrokeshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: The Havens
Much cut into by sea and gradually being lost. Dangerous site.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✓ |
Coastal grassland, scrub and much bare rock.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✓ |
| Other | ✗ |
Severely eroded coastal promontory fort located on W-facing headland of Black Point dominating St Bride's Bay from Rickets Head to Borough Head, including landings at Nolton, Druidston and Little Haven. Steep sea cliffs to NW, SW and W, moderate landward to E. Much cut into by sea with fissures.
| 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: 61.0m
N/A
None
Reliability: D - None
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | None |
On 1st Ed. OS map (1889). Part Excavation Rev J. Phillips reported 1897. Field Observation OS 1965, 1975. Field observation AMB 1981. Field Observation DAT 1994, 1996, 2002, 2006. Field observation CADW 1991. Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey 2006-2007. LiDAR and topographic survey (Page et al 2008).
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1889): | OS map. |
| Other (1981): | Field observation AMB. |
| Other (1991): | Field observation CADW. |
| LiDAR Survey (2008): | None |
| Other (None): | Field Observation OS 1965, 1975 |
| Other (None): | Field Observation DAT. |
| Other (None): | Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey. |
| Excavation (None): | Rev. J. Phillips. |
Phillips part excavated site reported in 1897, apparently in central area, investigated two stone-built, contiguous circular structures finding two pottery sherds of contrasting fabric, the finer, of a 'deep yellow'/orange fabric, thought to have been hand made, along with two 'rough' spindle-whorls, ox bones and shells.
Stream 0.7km 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 | ✗ |
Two stone-built, contiguous circular structures.
| 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 | ✗ |
Two pottery sherds of contrasting fabric, the finer, of a 'deep yellow'/orange fabric, thought to have been hand made, along with two 'rough' spindle-whorls, ox bones and shells.
| 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 | ✗ |
Entrance formerly at E end of bank.
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✓
Chevaux de frise, formerly visible below bank in 2001, now gone.
| 1. Simple Gap (East): | None |
Actively eroding and subsiding, especially to SW, and much lost by 1st Ed OS 1:2500 map of 1889, when curving bank c. 120m long with ditch shown to N and E. In places, the bank of shattered stone is still to 5m above the ditch and over 3m high internally.
| Area 1: | 0.26ha. |
| Total: | 0.26ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | Quadrants not defined as result of erosion. |
| NE Quadrant: | None |
| SE Quadrant: | None |
| SW Quadrant: | None |
| NW Quadrant: | None |
| Total: | None |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Shattered stone bank.
| None | ✗ |
| Earthen Bank | ✗ |
| Stone Wall | ✗ |
| Rubble | ✓ |
| Wall-walk | ✗ |
| Evidence of Timber | ✗ |
| Vitrification | ✗ |
| Other Burning | ✗ |
| Palisade | ✗ |
| Counter Scarp Bank | ✗ |
| Berm | ✗ |
| Unfinished | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
None
| 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
| ✗ | None |
Crossley, D.W. 1963. List of Hill-Forts and other earthworks in Pembrokeshire, Bull Board Celtic Stud, 20, 177.
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 SM71, SM81 and SM91, Cambria Archaeology Report No. 2007/01, Project Record No. 54269, Llandeilo: Cambria Archaeology.
Page, M., Barker, L., Driver, T. and Murphy, K. 2008. Remote sensing and the Iron Age promontory forts of Pembrokeshire. Archaeol Wales, 48, 27-38.
Phillips, J. 1897. Exploration of earthworks on the coast of Pembrokeshire, Arch Camb, 5th S, XIV, 41-4.
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. 278.
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