Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA2375 Graig y Gwbert, Cardiganshire

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

HER:  Dyfed 7735 (None)

NMR:  SN 15 SE (403294)

SM:  CD274

NGR:  SN15905020

X:  215900  Y:  250200  (OSGB36)

Summary

Coastal promontory fort located on a NW-facing isthmus on E side of the mouth of the River Teifi, attached to mainland by narrow neck of land to E. Sea cliffs only c. 10m high on N, S and W. Interior area c. 1.5ha. Bank, c. 2.5m high, extends c. 20m - 25m either side of a simple 2m wide gap entrance cuts off the narrow neck of the promontory on E with bank to 2.5m high and 15m wide. Natural ravines running up to the neck artificially deepened and widened to create ditch c. 5m wide in front of the bank adjacent to the entrance. Counterscarp bank to 1m high on the outer lip of the ditches. Possible four-post structure, roundhouse gullies and postholes as surface evidence. Damaged and sea erosion. Now part of a golf course. Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -522144  Y:  6821734  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -4.690501638833862  Latitude:  52.119348703103  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Ceredigion

Historic County:  Cardiganshire

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Y Verwig

Monument Condition

Probably sea erosion. Damaged. Gravel path through entrance. 19th century limekiln built into bank to S of entrance.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✓

Land Use

Golf course.

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

Coastal promontory fort superbly located on a NW-facing isthmus on E side of the mouth of the River Teifi, attached to mainland by narrow neck of land to E. Sea cliffs only c. 10m high on N, S and W, but provide good defence.

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:  Coastal isthmus

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

Altitude:  10.0m

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

Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey 2006.

Investigations:
Other (2006):   Cambria Archaeology defended enclosures survey

Interior Features

Possible four-post structure, round-house gullies and post-holes.

Water Source

None

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

Surface

Possible four-post structure, round-house gullies and post-holes.

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

NO APPARENT FEATURES

Interior Features (Aerial):
APs Not Checked   ✓
None   ✗
Roundhouses   ✗
Rectangular Structures   ✗
Pits   ✗
Postholes   ✗
Roads/Tracks   ✗
Other   ✗

Entrances

Simple 2m wide gap through E bank.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   None

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   None

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (East):   None

Enclosing Works

Bank, c. 2.5m high, extends c. 20m - 25m either side of a simple 2m wide gap entrance cuts off the narrow neck of the promontory on E with bank to 2.5m high and 15m wide. Natural ravines running up to the neck artificially deepened and widened to create ditch c. 5m wide in front of the bank adjacent to the entrance. Counterscarp bank to 1m high on the outer lip of the ditch.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   1.5ha.
Total:   1.5ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   None

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   1
SE Quadrant:   1
SW Quadrant:   0
NW Quadrant:   0
Total:   1

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

Possible earth and stone bank. Counterscarp bank to 1m high on the outer lip of the ditch.

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:
✓   Natural ravines running up to the neck artificially deepened and widened to create ditch c. 5m wide in front of the bank adjacent to the entrance.

Number of Ditches:  1

Annex:
✗   None

References

Murphy, K, Ramsey, R. and Page, M. 2006. A survey of defended enclosures in Ceredigion 2006: Gazetteer of Ordnance Survey Grid Squares SN14 and SN15, Project Report No. 2006/20, Project Record No. 54269, Llandeilo: Cambria Archaeology.



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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