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HER:  Dyfed 7451 (None)
NMR:  SN 20 NE 7 (107373)
SM:  None
NGR:  SN28420914
X:  228420  Y:  209140  (OSGB36)
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.
Citizen Science:  ✗
Reliability of Data:  Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed
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
Site destroyed by quarry.
| Extant   | ✗ |
| Cropmark   | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed   | ✓ |
Quarry.
| Woodland   | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation   | ✗ |
| Parkland   | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing)   | ✗ |
| Arable   | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken   | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop   | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland   | ✗ |
| Heath   | ✗ |
| Built-up   | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✓ |
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
| 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:  Hill top
| North   | ✗ |
| Northeast   | ✗ |
| East   | ✗ |
| Southeast   | ✗ |
| South   | ✗ |
| Southwest   | ✓ |
| West   | ✗ |
| Northwest   | ✗ |
| Level   | ✗ |
Altitude:  83.0m
N/A
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
| Pre 1200BC   | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC   | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC   | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50   | ✓ |
| AD50 - AD400   | ✓ |
| AD400 - AD 800   | ✓ |
| Post AD800   | ✗ |
| Unknown   | ✗ |
| Pre Hillfort:   | None |
| Post Hillfort:   | None |
| Artefactual:   | Pottery and other finds. |
Field observation Ordnance Survey 1915. Partial excavation G.J. Wainwright 1963-65. Field observation DAT 1967.
| Other (1915):   | Field observation Ordnance Survey. |
| Other (1967):   | Field observation DAT. |
| Excavation (None):   | G.J. Wainwright. |
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.
None
| None   | ✓ |
| Spring   | ✗ |
| Stream   | ✗ |
| Pool   | ✗ |
| Flush   | ✗ |
| Well   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
Site destroyed.
| No Known Features   | ✓ |
| Round Stone Structures   | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures   | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms   | ✗ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence   | ✗ |
| Pits   | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
Two huts contemporary with the defences found in interior.
| 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   | ✗ |
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.
| 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   | ✗ |
Oblique entrance on NW.
| 1:   | None |
| 2:   | None |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:  ✗
| 1. Oblique (North west):   | Oblique entrance. |
Defined by stone-revetted rampart or walls on all sides apart from on N where additional rampart and ditch where access easiest
| Area 1:   | 0.68ha. |
| Total:   | 0.68ha. |
Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.
None
| ✗   | None |
| ✓   | None |
| NE Quadrant:   | 2 |
| SE Quadrant:   | 1 |
| SW Quadrant:   | 1 |
| NW Quadrant:   | 2 |
| 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   | ✗ |
Stone-revetted rampart.
| 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:  2
| ✗   | 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 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.
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