Camp at Cwm Llwyd

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.

Cwm Llwyd Camp is a hillfort defended by a single bank and ditch. It is situated on the western side of a deeply cut small valley, on the south slope of Mynydd y Gaer. On the northern side the steep-sided bank measures c. 3-4m high and c. 10m wide. On the eastern side a stone wall continues along its line down the steep natural bank towards the stream. On the western side the bank peters out, but there is still a drop from the interior along the edge measuring c. 3m. On the southern side there is no bank, but the ground drops steeply at the edge of the camp.

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.