LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
Scroll left/right to view further images.
HER: Glamorgan Gwent No record found (None)
NMR: SS 48 NW 30 (301339)
SM: GM131
NGR: SS43708596
X: 243750 Y: 186000 (OSGB36)
Coastal promontory fort located on the long dominant narrow rocky headland aligned NNE-SSW next to Horse Cliff and Paviland Cave, Gower. Precipitous sea cliffs S side to 60m high, less steep to E and W and moderate landward to N and between two deep valleys on E and W. Total length of promontory c. 145m. Central area measures c. 40m by 44m, with 0.1ha internal area. To landward NE four lines of defence cut off promontory. Furthest N is limestone rubble bank, 6m-10m wide and up to 2m externally, with ditch on landward side to 3.5-5m wide and 1m deep. Bank and ditch curve seaward at either end. possible entrance on NW. Seaward for 20m rock-cut ditch to 3.5m wide and 1m deep and after berm limestone rubble bank to 1.5m high. Causewayed entrance through both. After 6m third line also rock-cut ditch to 7m wide and 0.7m deep, possibly unfinished, with bank fragment. Seaward for 23m high limestone rubble bank to 3m externally. Entrance on E near cliff edge. Seaward still area of possible occupation with platforms of various shapes, possibly hut sites. Modern quarry hollows between first and second lines. Slingstones found on site. On 1st Ed. OS map (1879). Minimal investigations, undated.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -473673 Y: 6719371 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -4.2550737442703035 Latitude: 51.55114887695131 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Wales
Current County or Unitary Authority: Swansea
Historic County: Glamorgan
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Rhossili
Coastal erosion and public access.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Coastal grassland and bare rock.
| Woodland | ✗ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✗ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✓ |
| Other | ✗ |
Coastal promontory fort located on the long dominant narrow rocky headland aligned NNE-SSW next to Horse Cliff and Paviland Cave, Gower. Precipitous sea cliffs S side to 60m high, less steep to E and W and moderate landward to N and between two deep valleys on E and W.
| 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: Coastal headland.
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✗ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✓ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 60.0m
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 (1879). RCAHMW investigation 1995. GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey 2005. Topographic and geophysical surveys (Hart 2014)
| 1st Identified Map Depiction (1879): | OS map. |
| Other (1965): | RCAHMW investigation. |
| Other (1986): | Visited by Hillfort Study Group |
| Other (2005): | GGAT survey. |
| Earthwork Survey (2014): | None |
| Geophysical Survey (2014): | None |
Traces of platforms, possibly hut sites of various shapes. Slingstones found.
None
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Traces of platforms, possibly hut sites of various shapes.
| 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 | ✗ |
None
| No Known Geophysics | ✓ |
| Pits | ✗ |
| Roundhouses | ✗ |
| Rectangular Structures | ✗ |
| Roads/Tracks | ✗ |
| Quarry Hollows | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
| Nothing Found | ✗ |
Slingtones found.
| 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 | ✗ |
Entrances through all four lines of defence, SE, E and NW.
| 4: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✗
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. Simple Gap (North west): | Entrance through first line landward. |
| 2. Simple Gap (South east): | Causewayed entrance through second line. |
| 3. Simple Gap (South east): | Causewayed entrance through third line. |
| 4. Simple Gap (East): | Entrance through fourth line before cliff edge on E. |
Furthest N limestone rubble bank, 6m-10m wide and up to 2m externally, with ditch on landward side to 3.5-5m wide and 1m deep. Bank and ditch curve seaward at either end. Seaward for 20m rock-cut ditch to 3.5m wide and 1m deep and after berm limestone rubble bank to 1.5m high. After 6m third line also rock-cut ditch to 7m wide and 0.7m deep, possibly unfinished, with bank fragment. Seaward for 23m high limestone rubble bank to 3m externally with possible natural ditch.
| Area 1: | 0.1ha. |
| Total: | 0.1ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✗ | None |
| ✗ | None |
| NE Quadrant: | 3 |
| SE Quadrant: | 0 |
| SW Quadrant: | 1 |
| NW Quadrant: | 0 |
| Total: | 3 |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✓ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
Limestone rubble banks. Third line of defence, rock-cut ditch, possibly unfinished.
| 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 |
| ✓ | Rock-cut ditches on secod and third lines of defence; use of natural hollow on fourth line. |
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.
Hart, R. 2014. GOWER, Paviland and the Knave promontory forts SS 43182 86375 & SS 43709 85955. Archaeoleg yng Nghymru. Archaeol Wales , 54, 176-77.
RCAHMW 1976. An inventory of the ancient monuments in Glamorgan, Vol I: Pre-Norman, Part II The Iron Age and the Roman occupation, No. 700, Cardiff: HMSO.
Savory, H.N. 1949. List of hill-forts in Wales, Bull Board Celtic Stud, 13, 157.
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