Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA2253 Coygan Camp, Carmarthenshire

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Dyfed 7451 (None)

NMR:  SN 20 NE 7 (107373)

SM:  None

NGR:  SN28420914

X:  228420  Y:  209140  (OSGB36)

Summary

Destroyed contour hillfort excavated prior to quarrying, formerly on a promontory jutting out into West Marsh and Pendine Burrows to the sea. Commanded Pendine Sands. Steep surrounding slopes, less on N. Surrounded by marsh, except on N. Tapering oval enclosure measured c. 140m N-S by 60m with internal area c. 0.68ha. Defined by stone-revetted rampart or walls on all sides apart from on N where additional rampart and ditch where access easiest. Excavated by G. J. Wainwright 1963-65 prior to quarrying. Sectioned N defences and identified and excavated the entrance. Sections also across W and W sides of defensive bank. Occupation material from Mesolithic to the fifth and sixth century AD. Two huts contemporary with the ramparts found in interior, with much late 3rd century AD pottery. Iron Age finds of bracelets, stone ring and pottery but no structures. Site destroyed and descheduled.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -499527  Y:  6755868  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.4873304777116765  Latitude:  51.75455944415383  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Carmarthenshire

Historic County:  Carmarthenshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Laugharne Township

Monument Condition

Site destroyed by quarry.

Condition:
Extant   ✗
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

Quarry.

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

Important, destroyed contour hillfort excavated prior to quarrying, formerly on a promontory jutting out into West Marsh and Pendine Burrows to the sea. Commanded Pendine Sands. Steep surrounding slopes, less on N. Tapering

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:  Hill top

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

Altitude:  83.0m

Boundary

N/A


Dating Evidence

Occupation material from Mesolithic to the 5th and 6th century AD. Two huts contemporary with the ramparts found in interior, with much late 3rd century AD pottery. Iron Age finds of bracelets, stone ring and pottery but no structures.

Reliability:  B - Medium

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:
Artefactual:   Pottery and other finds.

Investigation History

Field observation Ordnance Survey 1915. Partial excavation G.J. Wainwright 1963-65. Field observation DAT 1967.

Investigations:
Other (1915):   Field observation Ordnance Survey.
Other (1967):   Field observation DAT.
Excavation (None):   G.J. Wainwright.

Interior Features

Two huts contemporary with the defences found in interior. Occupation material from Mesolithic to the 5th and 6th century AD. Two huts contemporary with the defences found in interior, with much late 3rd century AD pottery. Iron Age finds of bracelets, stone ring and pottery but no structures.

Water Source

None

Source:
None   ✓
Spring   ✗
Stream   ✗
Pool   ✗
Flush   ✗
Well   ✗
Other   ✗

Surface

Site destroyed.

Interior Features (Surface):
No Known Features   ✓
Round Stone Structures   ✗
Rectangular Stone Structures   ✗
Curvilinear Platforms   ✗
Other Roundhouse Evidence   ✗
Pits   ✗
Quarry Hollows   ✗
Other   ✗

Excavation

Two huts contemporary with the defences found in interior.

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

Occupation material from Mesolithic to the 5th and 6th century AD. Two huts contemporary with the defences found in interior, with much late 3rd century AD pottery. Iron Age finds of bracelets, stone ring and pottery but no structures.

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

Oblique entrance on NW.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Oblique (North west):   Oblique entrance.

Enclosing Works

Defined by stone-revetted rampart or walls on all sides apart from on N where additional rampart and ditch where access easiest

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   0.68ha.
Total:   0.68ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✓   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   2
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   1
NW Quadrant:   2
Total:   2

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

None

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

Stone-revetted rampart.

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:
✓   None

Number of Ditches:  2

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 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, 556, London: HMSO.

Savory, H.N. 1954. List of hill-forts and other earthworks in Carmarthenshire. Bull Board Celtic Stud, 16, 60.

Wainwright, G. C. 1967: Coygan Camp. A prehistoric Romano-British and Dark Age settlement in Carmarthenshire, Cardiff: Cambrian Archaeological Association.



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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