Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Tooth Cave, Llethrid
Ilston, Swansea, Wales
The record
- Designation
- Scheduled monument
- Site type
- Cave
- Period
- Prehistoric
- Date of designation
- 17 December 1961
- Community
- Ilston
- Unitary authority
- Swansea
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates (centre of the scheduled area)
- 51.59794, -4.12135
- SAM number
- GM284
- Cadw record number
- 3743
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1636 "Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ..." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Cadw's description
Summary description and reason for designation
The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.
The monument consists of a cave containing archaeological deposits that can date from as early as the Palaeolithic period. A cave may have been used for occupation, storage, burial, refuse, or as a temporary shelter.
Tooth Cave is located on the eastern side of the valley that is to the south of Llethrid. The present west facing entrance is approximately 4m above the valley floor at the base of a 5m high limestone quarry face. The cave is 1.4m high, 2m wide and 5m long. In the 1960s the glacial blocking at the inner end of the entrance passage was penetrated, revealing a further passage measuring 5.0m long, which led to a previously undiscovered cave system. The first chamber is reached by a 3m drop from the entrance passage and measures 9m in height, 6m in width and is 10m long. Excavations uncovered the remains of eight individuals. Finds included stone and flint tools, flint flakes and Bronze Age pottery.
The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric settlement, ritual and funerary practices. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits.
The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.
Nearby in the register
- Cat Hole CaveCaveunder 1 mi
- Church Hill Romano-British enclosureEnclosureunder 1 mi
- Parc le Breos Limekiln and QuarriesLimekilnunder 1 mi
- Limekiln at Green CwmIndustrialunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.