LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
LiDAR 1m DTM Hillshade
Satellite Imagery
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HER: Glamorgan Gwent 298 (None)
NMR: SS 58 NW (301333)
SM: None
NGR: SS50928548
X: 250920 Y: 185480 (OSGB36)
Small inland promontory fort just N of Oxwich Point overlooking Oxwich Bay and landings. Surrounding slopes steep to N and E, moderate to strong to S and W. Site overgrown and interpretation difficult with area and boundaries uncertain to N. Outer defences enclose c. 0.6ha; inner defence encloses c. 0.2ha, possibly representing two phases. Defined by main outer rubble rampart on E, increasing in height to SE where another outer bank and ditch, which extends to SW quadrant. Where rounds the S main rampart earth rather than stone and ditch appears between the two banks. Here far outer bank loses its ditch and diverges from main bank, dying out to N. At W the main bank runs into modern wall after which vestiges of bank curve N with ditch used as hollow track before dying out. In interior, and widely spaced from outer defences, an inner rampart curves E-W c. 60m long, at W end to 3m high with part rock-cut ditch. No defences on N. Entrance through outer rampart possibly on W where bank meets the modern wall, banks inturned to form passage c. 9m long, but much damaged and overgrown. From here entrance through inner enclosure possibly to W of rampart and the end of the cliff. Here small oval hollow with entrance on W, a possible guard chamber or small hut, but could be result of quarrying or indeed natural. Minimal investigations, undated.
Citizen Science: ✗
Reliability of Data: Confirmed
Reliability of Interpretation: Confirmed
X: -462145 Y: 6718882 (EPSG: 3857)
Longitude: -4.151517507910898 Latitude: 51.548417783050645 (EPSG:4326)
Country: Wales
Current County or Unitary Authority: Swansea
Historic County: Glamorgan
Current Parish/Community/Council/Townland: Penrice
Damaged.
| Extant | ✓ |
| Cropmark | ✗ |
| Likely Destroyed | ✗ |
Major undergrowth makes site impenetrable in part and interpretation difficult.
| Woodland | ✓ |
| Commercial Forestry Plantation | ✗ |
| Parkland | ✗ |
| Pasture (Grazing) | ✗ |
| Arable | ✗ |
| Scrub/Bracken | ✓ |
| Bare Outcrop | ✗ |
| Heather/Moorland | ✗ |
| Heath | ✗ |
| Built-up | ✗ |
| Coastal Grassland | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Small inland promontory fort just N of Oxwich Point overlooking Oxwich Bay and landings. Surrounding slopes steep to N and E, moderate to strong to S 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: Spur
| North | ✗ |
| Northeast | ✓ |
| East | ✗ |
| Southeast | ✗ |
| South | ✗ |
| Southwest | ✗ |
| West | ✗ |
| Northwest | ✗ |
| Level | ✗ |
Altitude: 75.0m
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 |
RCAHMW investigation 1962. GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey 2005.
| Other (1962): | RCAHMW investigation. |
| Other (2005): | GGAT Prehistoric defended enclosures in Glamorgan survey. |
Small oval hollow with entrance on W, a possible guard chamber or small hut, but could be result of quarrying or indeed natural.
None
| None | ✓ |
| Spring | ✗ |
| Stream | ✗ |
| Pool | ✗ |
| Flush | ✗ |
| Well | ✗ |
| Other | ✗ |
Small oval hollow with entrance on W, a possible guard chamber or small hut, but could be result of quarrying or indeed natural.
| 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 | ✗ |
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 through outer rampart possibly on W where bank meets the modern wall, banks inturned to form passage c. 9m long, but much damaged and overgrown. From here entrance through inner enclosure possibly to W of rampart and the end of the cliff. Here small oval hollow with entrance on W, a possible guard chamber or small hut, but could be result of quarrying or indeed natural.
| 2: | None |
| 2: | None |
Guard Chambers: ✓
Chevaux de Frise: ✗
| 1. In-turned (West): | Through outer defences. |
| 2. Simple Gap (West): | Though inner defences. |
| 2. Recesses/Guard Chambers (West): | Possible guard chamber or small hut, but could be result of quarrying or indeed natural. |
Defined by main outer rubble rampart on E, increasing in height to SE where another outer bank and ditch, which extends to SW quadrant. Where rounds the S main rampart earth rather than stone and ditch appears between the two banks. Here far outer bank loses its ditch and diverges from main bank, dying out northwards. At W point the main bank runs into modern wall after which vestiges of bank curve northwards with ditch used as hollow track before dying out. In interior, and widely spaced from outer defences, an inner rampart curves E-W c. 60m long, at W end to 3m high with part rock-cut ditch. No defences on N.
| Area 1: | 0.6ha. |
| Total: | 0.6ha. |
Total Footprint Area: Noneha.
None
| ✓ | Possibly phased construction. Outer defences enclose c. 0.6ha; inner defence encloses c. 0.2ha, but no details. |
| ✗ | Ramparts probably don't complete circuit, but uncertain because of interpretation difficulty. |
| NE Quadrant: | 1 |
| SE Quadrant: | 2 |
| SW Quadrant: | 2 |
| NW Quadrant: | 1 |
| Total: | 2 |
| Partial Univallate | ✓ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✓ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
| Unknown | ✗ |
| Partial Univallate | ✗ |
| Univallate | ✗ |
| Partial Bivallate | ✗ |
| Bivallate | ✗ |
| Partial Multivallate | ✗ |
| Multivallate | ✗ |
banks vary between earth and stone construction.
| 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 |
| ✓ | Ditch part rock-cut. |
Number of Ditches: 3
| ✗ | 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.
RCAHMW 1976. An inventory of the ancient monuments in Glamorgan, Vol I: Pre-Norman, Part II The Iron Age and the Roman occupation, No. 701, Cardiff: HMSO.
Savory, H.N. 1949. List of hill-forts in Wales, Bull Board Celtic Stud, 13, X.
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