ME076

Pen y Ddinas Camp  

 

Designated  

Gwynedd  

Dyffryn Ardudwy  

260606  

320858  

Defence  

Hillfort  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument. The monument consists of the remains of a hillfort, probably of Iron Age date (c. 800 BC - AD 74, the Roman conquest of Wales), and huts and enclosures, probably medieval. The hillfort utilises a naturally rounded and flat-topped hillock and comprises an inner, oval stone-built enclosure now visible as a grass-covered bank up to 2m high with additional defences to the E, N and W, which may be earlier in date. On the E side is a ditch 1.5-2m deep, at the base of the hill. The other sides have an outer bank and ditch. On the SW side there is a gap of 18m of level ground between the inner and outer ramparts, before the outer bank turns inwards to help guard the approaches. The defences on the N have been disturbed by the later settlement. The entrance was an elaborate affair with in-turned walls providing a gap of nearly 5m, these walls and 'guardrooms' are visible under a mass of fallen rubble. The approach road is also clearly visible, running through the later settlement. The interior of the fort is level, with the exception of a depression just inside the entrance. On the W side of the fort are the remains of three rectangular huts and one rounded hut. They are linked together by a series of enclosures. A larger, probably later, enclosure lies to the W of these huts. These outer features are also well preserved. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of later prehistoric defensive organisation and settlement and medieval rural settlement. The site forms an important element within the wider later prehistoric and medieval contexts and within the surrounding landscape. It 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.