Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland

WA2434 Craig Ruperra, Glamorgan (Ruperra Hillfort)

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade

Satellite Imagery

Satellite Imagery

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HER:  Glamorgan Gwent 01672m (None)

NMR:  ST 28 NW 27 (226513)

SM:  GM511A

NGR:  ST223867

X:  322300  Y:  186700  (OSGB36)

Summary

Long, oval, contour hillfort located in prominent commanding position on the ridge/hill top of Craig Ruperra above Afon Rhymni immediately to NE. Very steep surrounding slopes. Very dense vegetation makes interpretation difficult, but axis of site NE-SW for c. 300m and c. 36m across. Internal area of c. 1.1ha estimated. Two lines of bank to N, NE and SW; S seemingly scarped. Any ditch not determined. Entrance cannot be determined, but probably at SW end where hillfort damaged by quarrying. Motte to 6m high and 12m diameter within site at highest point. Site used as a summerhouse in the 18th century. Scheduled area more extensive. Minimal investigations, undated.

Status

Citizen Science:  ✗

Reliability of Data:  Confirmed

Reliability of Interpretation:  Confirmed

Location

X:  -347608  Y:  6723417  (EPSG: 3857)

Longitude:  -3.1226193339810444  Latitude:  51.57374524481759  (EPSG:4326)

Country:  Wales

Current County or Unitary Authority:  Caerphilly

Historic County:  Glamorgan

Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland:  Rudry

Monument Condition

Motte within site at highest point. Used as a summerhouse in the 18th century. SW end damaged by quarrying.

Condition:
Extant   ✓
Cropmark   ✗
Likely Destroyed   ✗

Land Use

Heavily overgrown making interpretation difficult. Motte. Quarrying.

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

Contour hillfort located in prominent commanding position on the ridge/hill top of Craig Ruperra above Afon Rhymni immediately to NE. Very steep surrounding slopes.

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:  Ridge/Hill top

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

Altitude:  182.0m

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:   Motte to 6m high and 12m diameter within site at highest point.

Evidence:No related records

Investigation History

GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey 2005.

Investigations:
Other (2005):   GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey.

Interior Features

None

Water Source

None

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

Surface

None

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

None

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

Entrances

Entrance probably at the SW end of site where damaged by quarrying. Entrance type cannot be determined.

Total Number of Breaks Through Ramparts:  
1:   Cannot be determined.

Number of Possible Original Entrances:  
2:   Cannot be determined.

Guard Chambers:  ✗

Chevaux de Frise:  ✗

Entrances:
1. Simple Gap (South west):   Estimated - type cannot be determined.

Enclosing Works

Two lines of bank to N, NE and SW; S seemingly scarped. Any ditch not determined.

Enclosed Area:
Area 1:   1.1ha.
Total:   1.1ha.

Total Footprint Area:  Noneha.

Ramparts

None

Multi-period Enclosure System:
✗   Area estimated.

Ramparts Form a Continuous Circuit:
✗   None

Number of Ramparts:  
NE Quadrant:   2
SE Quadrant:   0
SW Quadrant:   2
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

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:
✗   Any ditch not determined.

Number of Ditches:  0

Annex:
✗   None

References

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.



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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