Caer y Twr (meaning 'fort of the pile/heap') is an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

hillfort atop the summit of the Holyhead Mountain in

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

, Wales.

The hillfort, which is situated among rocky outcrops, is ideally placed for defence and likely served as a watchtower and possibly as a signal tower. Some have speculated that it was built to alert a small fort in the modern town of

Holyhead Holyhead (,; cy, Caergybi , "Cybi's fort") is the largest town and a community in the county of Isle of Anglesey, Wales, with a population of 13,659 at the 2011 census. Holyhead is on Holy Island, bounded by the Irish Sea to the north, and is ...

in the case of raiders coming in from the

Irish Sea The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...

, while others have suggested that it may have been a lighthouse. The hillfort is now mostly rubble, but its walls can still be made out, including a large stone rampart on the north and east sides which reaches 3 metres at points. The entrance to the fort was through a rocky gully. The footings of a tower were discovered when the site was excavated; its stones are believed to date from the 2nd to the 4th centuries. Nestled below Caer y Twr is a group of several enclosed huts, named ''Cytiau Tŷ Mawr'' (the

Holyhead Mountain Hut Circles The Holyhead Mountain Hut Circles, also known as 'Tŷ Mawr Hut Circles', ''Cytiau'r Gwyddelod'' or the 'Irishmen's Huts', are the remains of a group of Celtic Iron Age huts near Trearddur on Holy Island, Anglesey, Wales. The site is under the ca ...

), that also date from the 3rd to the 4th centuries, some of which still contain the accoutrements of life, such as hearths and shelves.

References

External links

Caer y Twr
, BBC
Caer y Twr
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
Roman Remains on Anglesey
, BBC {{DEFAULTSORT:Caer Y Twr Trearddur Scheduled monuments in Anglesey Roman fortifications in Anglesey Hillforts in Anglesey Roman legionary fortresses in Wales

See also

References

External links