Caer Cadwgan

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The monument comprises the remains of a hillfort, which probably dates to the Iron Age period (c. 800 BC - AD 74, the Roman conquest of Wales). Hillforts are usually located on hilltops and surrounded by a single or multiple earthworks of massive proportions. Hillforts must have formed symbols of power within the landscape, while their function may have had as much to do with ostentation and display as defence. This monument occupies an exposed position on the edge of a steep slope overlooking the valley to the north. The main (inner) defences consist of the remains of a rampart of small stones which has collapsed down the slope on the steep side. It is best preserved at the main entrance, which is on the south, where there are the remains of a face consisting of slabs set on end. A row of upright stones indicate the position of a further entrance on the north-east. A number of hut positions have been surveyed in the interior. Parts of the site were excavated in the 1980s. A grass-grown outer bank c.3m wide and c.0.6m high, defining an outer enclosure, is traceable on the south and east sides.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of later prehistoric defensive organisation and settlement. The site forms an important element within the wider later prehistoric context and within the surrounding landscape. The site is well preserved and retains considerable archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of evidence relating to chronology, building techniques and functional detail.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.