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HER:  Glamorgan Gwent 00942g (None)
NMR:  SO 40 SW 23 (306492)
SM:  MM105
NGR:  SO4322403341
X:  343224  Y:  203341  (OSGB36)
Isolated, multivallate, contour hillfort sited at NE end of a ridge above the wide valley of the Olway Brook, a tributary of the River Usk. Commanding position. Surrounding slopes N, S, E and W moderate to strong. Measures c. 140m by 150m internally, 260m by 240m overall with 2.56ha internal area. Four banks and ditches define the site. Damaged and affected by development. S occupied by farm buildings, tracks, orchards and gardens. Outer bank c. 1.0m external to 1.5m internal height with c.16.0m wide. Middle outer bank 2.0m high internal height with ditch c. 14.0m wide. Middle inner bank to 1.10m internal with ditch 13.0m wide. Inner bank 1.8m and 2.0m external and 0.2m and 0.4m internal height. Possible revetment inside inner bank. Earth and stone construction likely. Possible quarrying cut straight through E ramparts to inner bank to give gap 19.0m wide. and stretches from the modern road beyond the outer defences, straight through to, but not breaching the innermost bank. Entrance to N uncertain and site of original entrance possibly destroyed where current tarmac entrance to S. Resistivity survey (Gerrard et al 2006) shows a possible metalled surface from N entrance into interior, and inner revetment continuing where earthworks of a revetment bank have petered out. The status of the N entrance could therefore be uncertain. Also showed much unspecified activity in interior with possible stock control. Bank and ditches overgrown by trees and scrub, impenetrable in parts, particularly on NW. Interior pasture. On 1st Ed. OS map (1882). Undated.
Citizen Science:  ✗
Reliability of Data:  Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed
X:  -314303  Y:  6750708  (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude:  -2.8234327686934657  Latitude:  51.72585547613391  (EPSG:4326)
Country:  Wales
Current County or Unitary Authority:  Monmouth
Historic County:  Monmouthshire
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Llangwm
Damaged and affected by development. S occupied by farm buildings, tracks, orchards and gardens.
| Extant   | ✓ |
| Cropmark   | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed   | ✓ |
Bank and ditches overgrown by trees and scrub, impenetrable in parts, particularly on NW. Interior pasture.
| Woodland   | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation   | ✗ |
| Parkland   | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing)   | ✓ |
| Arable   | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken   | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop   | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland   | ✗ |
| Heath   | ✗ |
| Built-up   | ✓ |
| Coastal Grassland   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
Isolated, multivallate, contour hillfort sited at NE end of a ridge above the wide valley of the Olway Brook, a tributary of the River Usk. Commanding position. Surrounding slopes N, S, E and W moderate to strong.
| 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:  Ridge
| North   | ✗ |
| Northeast   | ✗ |
| East   | ✗ |
| Southeast   | ✗ |
| South   | ✗ |
| Southwest   | ✗ |
| West   | ✗ |
| Northwest   | ✗ |
| Level   | ✓ |
Altitude:  104.0m
N/A
None
Reliability:  D - None
| Pre 1200BC   | ✗ |
| 1200BC - 800BC   | ✗ |
| 800BC - 400BC   | ✗ |
| 400BC - AD50   | ✗ |
| AD50 - AD400   | ✗ |
| AD400 - AD 800   | ✗ |
| Post AD800   | ✗ |
| Unknown   | ✓ |
| Pre Hillfort:   | None |
| Post Hillfort:   | None |
On 1st Ed. OS map (1882). GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey 2005. GGAT/ H. Wiggins geophysical survey 2006 (Gerrard et al 2006).
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1881):   | OS map. |
| Other (1991):   | Visited by Hillfort Study Group |
| Other (2005):   | GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey. |
| Geophysical Survey (2006):   | GGAT/H. Wiggins, (Gerrard et al 2006). |
Resistivity survey showed unspecified internal activity and possible stock control measures.
Stream 0.15kn outside fort..
| None   | ✓ |
| Spring   | ✗ |
| Stream   | ✗ |
| Pool   | ✗ |
| Flush   | ✗ |
| Well   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
None
| No Known Features   | ✓ |
| Round Stone Structures   | ✗ |
| Rectangular Stone Structures   | ✗ |
| Curvilinear Platforms   | ✗ |
| Other Roundhouse Evidence   | ✗ |
| Pits   | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
None
| No Known Excavation   | ✓ |
| Pits   | ✗ |
| Postholes   | ✗ |
| Roundhouses   | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures   | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks   | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows   | ✗ |
| Other   | ✗ |
| Nothing Found   | ✗ |
Reistivity survey showed unspecified internal activity and possible stock control measures.
| 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 to N possibly modern and uncertain and site of original entrance possibly destroyed where current tarmac entrance in S. But resistivity survey (Gerrard et al 2006) shows possible metalled surface from this N entrance into interior, inner revetment continuing where earthworks of a revetment bank peter out. Status of N entrance therefore uncertain.
| 2:   | Entrance on N uncertain. |
| 2:   | None |
Guard Chambers:  ✗
Chevaux de Frise:  ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (South):   | Entrance probably destroyed on S. Type therefore not determined and simple gap default. |
| 2. Simple Gap (North):   | Entrance uncertain. |
Outer bank c. 1.0m external to 1.5m internal height with c.16.0m wide. Middle outer bank 2.0m high internal height with ditch c. 14.0m wide. Middle inner bank to 1.10m internal with ditch 13.0m wide. Inner bank 1.8m and 2.0m external and 0.2m and 0.4m internal height. Possible revetment inside inner bank. Earth and stone construction likely.
| Area 1:   | 2.56ha. |
| Total:   | 2.56ha. |
Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.
None
| ✗   | None |
| ✗   | Ramparts and ditches lost through development in S sector. |
| NE Quadrant:   | 4 |
| SE Quadrant:   | 0 |
| SW Quadrant:   | 0 |
| NW Quadrant:   | 4 |
| Total:   | 4 |
| Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
| Univallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate   | ✓ |
| Multivallate   | ✗ |
| Unknown   | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate   | ✗ |
| Univallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Bivallate   | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate   | ✗ |
| Multivallate   | ✗ |
Earth and stone baks likely. Revetted in parts.
| 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 |
| ✓   | Ditches in S sector lost. |
Number of Ditches:  4
| ✗   | None |
Gerrard, C., Wiggins, H., and Evans, E. 2006. Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan with recommendations for fieldwork: Year 3 Report, GGAT Report No. 2006/089, Project No. GGAT78, Swansea: GGAT.
Savory, H.N. 1950. List of hill-fort and other earthworks in Wales, II. Monmouthshire, Bull Board Celtic Stud, 13, 234.
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