Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA2217 y Gaer Wen, Carmarthenshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Dyfed 2283 (None)

NMR:  SN 33 NE (303735)

SM:  None

NGR:  SN39533636

X:  239530  Y:  236360  (OSGB36)

Summary

Small contour fort located on top of high, broad, ridge, above steep wooded valley of the headwaters of tributary streams of the Afon Teifi to E. Steep surrounding slopes from NW through to S, moderate to SW and W. Overgrown with brambles, bracken and gorse and fenced off from surrounding pasture field, making interpretation difficult. Much mutilated and W half nearly levelled. and reduced to rubble spreads. Defined by main earth and rubble banks, circular in plan, the inner rampart c. 35m diameter, the outer c. 60m diameter. Area not defined and ditches hardly visible. Possible third low bank and ditch, to 0.9m deep, beyond the outer rampart on NE. On E two large upright stones, possibly part of an orthostatic revetment, and gap in the defences to the ENE possible entrance. Overgrown with brambles, bracken and gorse and fenced off from surrounding pasture field, making interpretation difficult. Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -483035  Y:  6800557  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.33917606483687  Latitude:  52.00238795608069  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Carmarthenshire

Historic County:  Carmarthenshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Llangeler

Monument Condition

Much mutilated and W half nearly levelled.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Overgrown with brambles, bracken and gorse and fenced off from surrounding pasture field, making interpretation difficult.

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

Small contour fort located in commanding position on top of high, broad, ridge, above steep wooded valley of the headwaters of tributary streams of the Afon Teifi to E. Steep surrounding slopes from NW through to S, moderate to SW and W.

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:  Ridge

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

Altitude:  175.0m

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

Investigation RCAHM 1913. Field Observation OS 1968, 1977. Field Observation DAT 1977, 1984, 2008. Dyfed Archaeological Trust defended enclosures survey 2007-2008.

Investigations:
Other (1913):   Investigation RCAHM.
Other (None):   Field Observation OS.
Other (None):   Field Observation DAT.
Other (None):   Dyfed Archaeological Trust defended enclosures survey.

Interior Features

None

Water Source

None

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

On E two large upright stones, possibly part of an orthostatic revetment, and gap in the defences to the ENE 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 east):   Gap on ENE possible entrance.

Enclosing Works

Defined by two main earth and rubble banks, circular in plan, the inner rampart c. 35m diameter, the outer c. 60m diameter. Area not defined and ditches hardly visible. Possible third low bank and ditch, to 0.9m deep, beyond the outer rampart on NE.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.09ha.
Total:   0.09ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   Area within inner rampart estimated.

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   Possible third bank on NE. Levelled on W.

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   3
SE Quadrant:   2
SW Quadrant:   2
NW Quadrant:   2
Total:   3

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

Earth and rubble banks.

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:
✓   Inner banks ditches hardly visible, but outer ditch on NE to 0.9m deep.

Number of Ditches:  3

Annex:
✗   None

References

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 SN32, SN33 and SN34, Dyfed Archaeological Trust Report No. 2007/27, Project Record No. 62767, Llandeilo: Dyfed Archaeological Trust.

RCAHMWM 1917: Carmarthenshire Inventory, No. 467;

Savory, H.N 1954, Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies, 16, 61.



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


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