Coed Pen-y-Bryn Defended Settlement

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

The monument comprises the well-preserved remains of a small defended enclosure, which probably dates to the Iron Age period (c.800 BC - AD 43). The enclosure is located on a small hilltop forming a slight promontory that overlooks the Mawddach estuary.

The enclosure is roughly rectangular in plan and aligned NE/SW, measuring 105m NE/SW and 77m transversely. An earthen enclosure bank is evident on the N and NE sides surmounting and enhancing the summit of the hilltop. The earthen enclosure bank has a width of some 3m and a maximum internal height of 1m. The entrance is marked by a simple gap through the bank on the E side. To the S of the entrance the bank is reduced in height and composed of earth and stone. The steep scarp on the SW provides a natural defence along the fourth side. The interior area of the enclosure is relatively flat, but sits at two levels with the N side being higher than the S. The interior is overgrown, obscuring any evidence for hut circles or platforms.

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, layout, building techniques and functional detail.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and an area around them, within which related evidence may be expected to survive. It is rectangular in shape on plan and measures 125m NE/SW by 97m transversely.