Camp 280m S of Melin Court Brook

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 an earthwork/stone-built enclosure. The date or precise nature of the enclosure is unknown, but it is likely to be later prehistoric (c. 800BC - AD74). The enclosure stands or roughly level ground at 300m OD on the edge of the steep side of the valley of Melin Court Brook. It is oval in plan, and about 0.1ha in area. The north-east defence is provided by the natural slopes down which the north-west and south-west defences are carried some way before fading out. The defended area measures about 44m long from north-west to south-west by 37m wide. The defences consist of an inner bank from 3-3.5m wide, separated by a ditch from an outer bank 3-5m wide - the overall width ranging from 16 to 18m. The defences are best preserved on the north-west where the maximum height of the inner bank above the bottom of the ditch is nearly a metre. On the west side the outer bank and ditch are interrupted by a causeway and the inner bank is in-turned sharply to form an entrance 3m wide. On the south-west the outer bank has been destroyed by a later hollow trail.

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.