Caer Dynnaf hillfort

Summary description and reason for designation

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

Caer Dynnaf is a fine example of a multivallate mid/late Iron Age hillfort. Its ramparts are well-preserved in places, with those on the west end still retaining much of their original profile. The construction of this hillfort (probably in the latter half of the first millennium BC - sometime between 400 BC and the Roman Conquest in AD 74) represented considerable effort on the part of its builders. The hillfort had great symbolic value, although it may not have been occupied all year round - simply providing refuge in times of strife and a highly visible claim to the land on behalf of the tribe and its chief. A complex and well preserved in-turned entrance is visible on the west side, while internal features such as earthwork banks and platforms indicate the positions of houses, enclosures and tracks. The remains of a medieval masonry structure survive at the east end of the hillfort.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of late prehistoric defensive organisation. The monument forms an important element within the wider Iron Age context and may be expected to contain archaeological information in regard to elements such as chronology, building techniques and social organisation.

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