LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Dyfed 1363 (None)
NMR: SN 35 SW (92284)
SM: CD071
NGR: SN31555485
X: 231550 Y: 254850 (OSGB36)
Contour fort on summit of an isolated and very prominent hill (Pen y Badell) overlooking Ynys Lochtyn and bays to east and west of Cardigan Bay. Located just to S of Ynyslochdin promontory fort. Steep or very steep surrounding slopes. Measures c. 160m N-S by 100m, with internal area 1.4ha. On N and E sides, where slopes steepest, bank 5m wide and to 5m high is evident with no ditch visible. On S side strong bank has external ditch. To SE defences nearly bivallate with bank, ditch and bank. W now up to 2.5 m high with traces of external ditch. Quarry ditch on W. Entrance possibly on SE, now modern road. Excavations provided evidence of interior roundhouses and structures. Several hollows in the interior may be roundhouse sites. Romano-British sherd and burnt bone, found from eroded section of rampart. Limited excavation by Scott and Murphy during MoD station construction 1990-91 found a possible circular structure and a four-post structure. Bronze Age C14 date came from post-hole and Romano-British date from the possible roundhouse. The site is under rough pasture with MOD station on site. On 1st Ed. OS map (1889).
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -496981 Y: 6830216 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -4.464453622258467 Latitude: 52.16610876584925 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Wales
Current County or Unitary Authority: Ceredigion
Historic County: Cardiganshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Llangrannog
Fair condition, but MOD station on the site and modern road. Public access.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Rough pasture. MOD station on site and road.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✓ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✓ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✓ |
Contour fort on summit of an isolated and very prominent hill (Pen y Badell)overlooking Ynys Lochtyn and bays to east and west of Cardigan Bay. Located just to S of Ynyslochdin promontory fort. Steep or very steep surrounding slopes.
| 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: 150.0m
N/A
Bronze Age C14 date came from post-hole and Romano-British date from the possible roundhouse calibrated to AD 85-AD 420 Scott 1992).
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 |
| C14: | Bronze Age C14 date came from post-hole and Romano-British date from the possible roundhouse. |
On 1st Ed. OS map (1889). Limited excavation 1990-91 by Scott and Murphy, Cambria Archaeology. Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey 2006.
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1889): | OS map. |
| Other (1988): | Visited by Hillfort Study Group |
| Other (2006): | Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey 2006. |
| Excavation (None): | Scott and Murphy. |
Several hollows in the interior may be roundhouse sites. Limited excavation during MoD station construction 1990-91 found a possible circular structure (roundhouse) and four-post structure and postholes. Quarry hollows.
Sream 0.65km outside fort.
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Several hollows in the interior may be roundhouse sites.
| No Known Features | ✗ |
| Round Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms | ✓ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence | ✗ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Limited excavation during MOD station construction 1990-91 found a possible circular structure (roundhouse) and four-post structure and postholes. Quarry hollows.
| 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 | ✗ |
Entrance possibly on SE, now modern road.
| 1: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (South east): | Now modern road. |
On N and E sides, where slopes steepest, bank 5m wide and to 5m high is evident with no ditch visible. On S side strong bank has external ditch. To SE defences nearly bivallate with bank, ditch and bank. W now up to 2.5 m high with traces of external ditch.
| Area 1: | 1.4ha. |
| Total: | 1.4ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✓ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 1 |
| 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 | ✗ |
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 |
| ✓ | None |
Number of Ditches: 2
| ✗ | None |
Hogg, A.H.A. 1962. List of hill-forts in Cardiganshire, Bull Board Celtic Stud, 19, 358.
Murphy, K, Ramsey, R. and Page, M. 2006. A survey of defended enclosures in Ceredigion 2006: Gazetteer of Ordnance Survey Grid Square SN35, Project Report No. 2006/20, Project Record No. 54269, Llandeilo: Cambria Archaeology.
Rees, S. 1992. A guide to ancient and historic Wales - Dyfed, London: HMSO, 87.
Scott, N. 1992. Excavations at Pendinas Lochtyn, Llangrannog, Dyfed 1990-91, Arch in Wales, 32 (1992), 9-10.
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