LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
Scroll left/right to view further images.
HER: Dyfed 1823 (None)
NMR: SN 44 SW (101802)
SM: CM023(CAM)
NGR: SN43324027
X: 243320 Y: 240270 (OSGB36)
Multivalate, contour hillfort in commanding position on summit of rocky spur of an isolated hill top overlooking the Afon Teifi to N at its confluence with the Afon Clettwr and confluence with the Afon Tyweli. Very steep surrounding slopes to N and E, slightly less elsewhere. Irregular shape, measuring c. 160m N-S by 125m, with internal area 1.5ha. Defended on N, E and W by a single slight bank to 2m high externally, with outer terrace, c. 2m wide, being probable position of ditch. Traces of possible second scarp to SE. No ditch visible on NE where slopes steepest. On gentler SW side fine series of ramparts and ditches around entrance, reaching c. 4.2m high. Entrance has two large ramparts, with flat terraces between. Ends of outer rampart on either side of the entrance passage slightly inturned. Outside the ramparts on the SW Gardner, in 1932, identified remnants of a chevaux-de-fris, noting that formed of more or less pointed stones, some 0.6m high, inserted upright in the ground. Little remained by 1968 when Ordnance Survey visited site. Additional outer scarp on W just visible, and number of scarps in the wood on E, possibly part of defences. Around N angle traces of possible scarp of another ditch beyond that belonging to main rampart. Site is identified with the stronghold of Vortgern, or Gwrtheyrn. Pasture interior with bracken. Entrance wooded. Wooded surrounding slopes. On 1st Ed. OS map (1889). Minimal investigations, undated.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -477093 Y: 6807107 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -4.285801457590102 Latitude: 52.03859726998939 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Wales
Current County or Unitary Authority: Carmarthenshire
Historic County: Carmarthenshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Llanfihangel-ar-Arth
Ramparts to SW well-preserved.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Pasture interior with bracken. Entrance wooded. Much bare rock. Wooded surrounding slopes.
| Woodland | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✓ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Fine, multivalate, contour hillfort in commanding position on summit of rocky spur of an isolated hill top overlooking the Afon Teifi to N at its confluence with the Afon Clettwr and confluence with the Afon Tyweli. Very steep surrounding slopes to N and E, slightly less elsewhere.
| 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: 150.0m
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). Field Observation OS 1968. Field Observation DAT 1983. Field Observation CADW 1994, 2001. Dyfed Archaeological Trust defended enclosures survey 2007-2008.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1889): | OS map. |
| Other (1968): | Field observation OS. |
| Other (1983): | Field observation DAT. |
| Other (2001): | Field observation CADW. |
| Other (None): | Dyfed Archaeological Trust defended enclosures survey |
None
Afon Teifi 0.2km 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 | ✗ |
None
| 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 | ✗ |
None
| 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 | ✗ |
On gentler SW side fine series of ramparts and ditches around entrance with twin hornwork, reaching c. 4.2m high. Entrance has two large ramparts, with flat terraces between. Ends of outer rampart on either side of the entrance passage slightly inturned. Outside ramparts on SW side, Gardner, in 1932, identified remnants of a chevaux-de-frise, noting that formed of more or less pointed stones, some 0.6m high, inserted upright in the ground. Little remained by 1968 when Ordnance Survey visited site.
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✓
Outside ramparts on SW side, Gardner, in 1932, identified remnants of a chevaux-de-frise, noting that formed of more or less pointed stones, some 0.6m high, inserted upright in the ground. Little remained by 1968 when Ordnance Survey visited site.
| 1. Hornwork (South west): | Entrance has fine twin hornwork. |
| 1. In-turned (South west): | Ends of outer rampart on either side of the entrance passage slightly inturned. |
| 1. Passage-way/Corridor (South west): | Passageway. |
Defended by a single slight bank to 2m high externally, with outer terrace, c. 2m wide, being probable position of ditch. Traces of possible second scarp to SE. No ditch visible on NE where slopes steepest. On gentler SW side fine series of ramparts and ditches around entrance, reaching c. 4.2m high. Entrance has two large ramparts, with flat terraces between. Additional outer scarp on W just visible, and number of scarps in the wood on E, possibly part of defences. Around N angle traces of possible scarp of another ditch beyond that belonging to main rampart.
| Area 1: | 1.5ha. |
| Total: | 1.5ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | Quadrants estimated and do not take into account any possible additions on N or E |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SW Quadrant: | 3 |
| NW Quadrant: | 1 |
| Total: | 3 |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✓ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✓ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Traces of dry-stone construction.
| 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 |
| ✓ | Possibly three, but at least two. |
Number of Ditches: 3
| ✗ | None |
Murphy, F., Ramsey, R., Page, M. and Murphy, K. 2008. A Survey of Defended Enclosures in Carmarthenshire, 2007-08: Gazetteer of Ordnance Survey Grid Squares SN40, SN41, SN42, SN43 and SN44, Dyfed Archaeological Trust Report No. 2007/27, Project Record No. 62767, Llandeilo: Dyfed Archaeological Trust.
Rees, S. 1992. A guide to ancient and historic Wales - Dyfed, London: HMSO, 214.
Royal Commission on the ancient and historical monuments and constructions in Wales and Monmouthshire 1917. An inventory of the ancient monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire, V, Carmarthen, 393, London: HMSO.
Savory, H.N. 1954. List of hill-forts and other earthworks in Carmarthenshire. Bull Board Celtic Stud, 16, 56.
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