Nant y Coy Bridge Defended Enclosure

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

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

The monument comprises the surviving earthworks of a defended enclosure which dates to the Iron Age (c. 800BC - 43AD). It is sited on a gentle north-facing slope and, to the north, the ground drops sharply away into a steep-sided valley. The site is overlooked from the south by the distinctive outcrops of Treffgarne Rocks, themselves part of an Iron Age defended enclosure (Pe248). The monument consists of a bank and ditch which, in plan, form a sub-circular shape with an internal measurement of 45m N-S and 29m E-W. Although spread and reduced by ploughing, the bank, ditch and counterscarp bank are visible on the west and south sides. The bank is 5m wide, with an external height of 0.6m and an internal height of 0.3m. The ditch is 3.5m wide, and the counterscarp bank is 0.2m in height and 2.3m in width. To the north, the valley forms a natural defence, and to the east the enclosure bank has been incorporated into a wide field boundary.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of Iron Age settlement, and is likely to contain surviving evidence relating to the use, lay-out and construction of defended enclosures. It is of particular note for its strong group value with at least seven other defended enclosures in the immediate area of Treffgarne Gorge. It has the potential to provide information about the overall chronology of this group of sites.

The area proposed for scheduling comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. It is an irregular semi-circle in shape, measuring 67m N-S and 85m E-W