Craig Rhiwarth is a mountain in the
Berwyn range
The Berwyn range ( Welsh: ''Y Berwyn'' or ''Mynydd y Berwyn'') is an isolated and sparsely populated area of moorland in the northeast of Wales, roughly bounded by Llangollen in the northeast, Corwen in the northwest, Bala in the southwest, a ...
, in
Powys
Powys (; ) is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain.
Geog ...
(formerly
Montgomeryshire
, HQ= Montgomery
, Government= Montgomeryshire County Council (1889–1974)Montgomeryshire District Council (1974–1996)
, Origin=
, Status=
, Start=
, End= ...
), Wales, overlooking the village of
Llangynog
Llangynog (; ) is a village and community at the confluence of the Afon Eirth and the Afon Tanat at the foot of the Berwyn range in north Powys (previously Montgomeryshire), Wales.
It lies at the foot of the Milltir Cerrig mountain pass on t ...
to the south. On the summit 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 mostl ...
hillfort
A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...
, and there are remains of slate quarrying on the southern slopes.
Prehistoric remains
The altitude of Craig Rhiwarth is ; the hillfort is one of the highest in Wales. The size of the enclosure is about east to west by . The site has precipitous slopes on all sides except the north: on this side there is a ruinous stone wall above a scarp. There is a simple entrance near the centre of the wall and a slanting entrance at the west end.
[Christopher Houlder. ''Wales: An Archaeological Guide''. Faber and Faber, 1978. Page 89.]
Within this area are the foundations of about 170 circular stone structures, of diameter . It is thought that the settlement may have begun in the late
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
and continued into the
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 mostl ...
, and that its function probably ceased by the time of the Roman conquest in the 1st century A.D. There are also a few rectangular ''hafodydd'', probably of medieval date, relating to seasonal settlement.
[Historic Landscape Characterisation. The Tanat Valley: Craig Rhiwarth, Llangynog, Powys]
The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
Slate quarries
On the southern slopes of Craig Rhiwarth are the remains of slate quarries. A, quarry is known to have been there by 1705. There was much activity in the early 19th century, but this declined later in the century; there was revival in the early 20th century, when the Tanat Valley Light Railway
The Tanat Valley Light Railway (TVLR) was a long standard gauge light railway. It ran westwards from Llanyblodwel in Shropshire, about 5 miles or 8 km south-west of Oswestry. It crossed the Wales–England border and continued up the Tanat va ...
opened. Final closure was in 1940–41.
See also
* Hillforts in Britain Hillforts in Britain refers to the various hillforts within the island of Great Britain. Although the earliest such constructs fitting this description come from the Neolithic British Isles, with a few also dating to later Bronze Age Britain, Britis ...
* List of Scheduled prehistoric Monuments in Powys (Montgomeryshire)
References
{{reflist
Hillforts in Powys
Mountains and hills of Powys
Scheduled monuments in Powys
Slate industry in Wales