ME158

Enclosure and Early Field System North of Fronhill, Llanfair  

16/02/1996  

Designated  

Gwynedd  

Llanfair  

258243  

329851  

Agriculture and Subsistence  

Field System  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument. This monument is part of the remarkable and extensive landscape of early settlement which survives above Harlech. It comprises the remains of an earthwork/stone-built enclosure as well as extensive and unusually well defined associated field boundaries, dating from the Iron Age or Romano-British periods (c. 800 BC - AD 400). Within the field system there are also several irregular cairns of cleared stone. The enclosure is particularly well preserved and the absence of stone features within the interior might suggest that it once contained timber structures. Alternatively it may have served as an enclosure for livestock. Other monuments of similar date have also survived in this area. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of later prehistoric settlement and agriculture. 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 site forms an important element within the wider later prehistoric context and within the surrounding landscape. Taken together with the other monuments of similar date in this area the site also has considerable group value. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.