LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Dyfed 3843 (None)
NMR: SN 20 NE (304161)
SM: CM138(CAM)
NGR: SN25450981
X: 225450 Y: 209810 (OSGB36)
Small, bivallate, level terrain fort located on NW plateau edge of NE-facing Old Red Sandstone outcrop promontory, just above a steep and wooded stream valley of Colston Wood and overlooking West Marsh and Pendine Sands. Very steep surrounding slopes on N and W, Moderate on E and S. D-shaped, measuring c. 66m NE-SW by 64m, with internal area 0.35ha. Defined by rampart and ditch, reduced to possible slight scarp (or none) above the very steep NW slope, with additional curving rampart and ditch on SW, terminating short of slope to form possible entrance. Limited excavations, 1967-8 (de Quincey 1969) found outer ditch flat-bottomed, and inner ditch V-shaped and cut c. 1.5m into solid rock. Ramparts were of rubble, inner revetted inside and out with dry-stone walling, outer with massive vertical slabbing - latter technique also around base of inner rampart near the entrance. No datable finds. Under pasture, with gorse and brambles. Disturbed area in centre possibly modern. On 1st Ed. Os map (1889).
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -504350 Y: 6756785 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -4.53065264407836 Latitude: 51.75965968222897 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Wales
Current County or Unitary Authority: Carmarthenshire
Historic County: Carmarthenshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Llanddowror
Located in field. periodically ploughed up to outer bank, but generally fair condition.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Under pasture, with gorse and brambles.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✓ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Small, bivallate, level terrain fort located on NW plateau edge of NE-facing Old Red Sandstone outcrop spur promontory, just above a steep and wooded stream valley on hilltop overlooking West Marsh and Pendine Sands. Very steep surrounding slopes on N and W, Moderate on E and 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: Plateau edge of spur.
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✓ |
Altitude: 150.0m
N/A
No dateable finds from de Quincey excavation.
Reliability: D - None
| Pre 1200BC | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50 | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400 | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800 | ✗ |
| Post AD800 | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort: | None |
| Post Hillfort: | Disturbed area in centre thought to be tumulus possibly recent structure - no details. |
On 1st Ed. Os map (1889). Field observation RCAHM 1912. Field observation OS 1967. Limited excavations by A.B. de Quincey 1967-68. Field observation DAT 1985, 2001. Dyfed Archaeological Trust defended enclosures survey 2007-2008.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1889): | OS map. |
| Other (1912): | Field observation RCAHM. |
| Excavation (None): | A.B. de Quincey |
| Other (None): | Field observation OS. |
| Other (None): | Field observation DAT. |
| Other (None): | Dyfed Archaeological Trust defended enclosures survey. |
Disturbed area in centre possibly modern. Excavation found no dateable finds.
Steam 0.15km outside fort.
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Disturbed area in centre possibly modern.
| 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 | ✗ |
Excavation found no dateable finds.
| 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 | ✗ |
Additional curving rampart and ditch on SW, terminating short of slope, possible site of entrance.
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (South west): | None |
Defined by rampart and ditch, reduced to possible slight scarp (or none) above the very steep NW slope, with additional curving rampart and ditch on SW. Limited excavations, 1967-8 (de Quincey 1970) found outer ditch flat-bottomed, and inner ditch V-shaped and cut c. 1.5m into solid rock. Ramparts were of rubble, inner revetted inside and out with dry-stone walling, outer with massive vertical slabbing - latter technique also around base of inner rampart near the entrance.
| Area 1: | 0.35ha. |
| Total: | 0.35ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SW Quadrant: | 2 |
| NW Quadrant: | 0 |
| 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 | ✗ |
Limited excavations, 1967-8 (de Quincey 1970) found outer ditch flat-bottomed, and inner ditch V-shaped and cut c. 1.5m into solid rock. Ramparts were of rubble, inner revetted inside and out with dry-stone walling, outer with massive vertical slabbing - latter technique also around base of inner rampart near the entrance.
| 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 |
| ✓ | Limited excavations, 1967-8 (de Quincey 1970) found outer ditch flat-bottomed and inner ditch V-shaped. |
Number of Ditches: 2
| ✗ | None |
de Quincey, A.B. 1969. A promontory fort at Parc Cynog, Carmarthenshire, Arch Camb, 118 (1969), 73 ff.
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 SN20 and SN21, Dyfed Archaeological Trust Report No. 2007/27, Project Record No. 62767, Llandeilo: Dyfed Archaeological Trust.
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, 165, London: HMSO.
Savory, H.N. 1954. List of hill-forts and other earthworks in Carmarthenshire. Bull Board Celtic Stud, 16, 64.
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