RD013

Burfa Camp  

 

Designated  

Powys  

Old Radnor  

328406  

261042  

Defence  

Hillfort  

Prehistoric  

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. Burfa Camp is a large, elongated fort measuring c.700m east-west by a maximum of c.200m, being widest at the east end. It encloses c.5.9ha on the summit of Burfa Bank, a prominent hill overlooking the valley of the Hindwell brook situated at the eastern end of the Walton basin. The LiDAR data suggests that the fort was constructed in two phases, with the earliest phase comprising the bulk of the tear-shaped univallate hillfort, enclosed by a single bank and ditch. The bank is most substantial on the northern side, rising to 3.5m in height. It has an external ditch around 2-3m deep with a counterscarp bank. The defences on the southern side consist of a bank between 0.75 and 1.5m high with an exterior ditch about 1m deep. The original entrance appears to have been on the SE side, where the hillfort is widest, and comprises a slightly in-turned break in the bank, around 10m wide, enclosed by an external rampart. This external rampart extends south from the main hillfort rampart immediately adjacent to the entrance, curving around to the west and continuing for around 80m. The line of a track leads up from the modern forest road to this entrance which may represent the original means of accessing the hillfort. At the western end of the hillfort an outer rampart encloses an irregular-shaped area of less than 1 acre in size, which appears to be an annexe-type feature. The rampart here is slighter than that of the main enclosure, although still up to 3m in height. A break in the rampart at the western end could be an original entrance into this area, which appears to post-date the construction of the main fort. A breach in the bank on the northern side of the annexe, previously interpreted as the original entrance into the hillfort, appears to be a more modern feature. The interior of the hillfort encompasses the summit of Burfa bank at the western end, sloping gently down towards the east. At the eastern end traces of ridge and furrow demonstrate that the site has been cultivated in the past, as well as being ploughed for forestry in the 20th century. Prehistoric flint tools and a cache of unworked flint nodules have been found in and around the hillfort, and Roman pottery of 1st/2nd century AD date was found during ploughing operations indicating that the hillfort remained a significant feature in the landscape during the Roman occupation of the Walton Basin. The hillfort is covered with a mix of mature deciduous woodland, conifers, scrub and open ground. It is in open-access woodland and has a number of informal footpaths running through it. 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.