Moel y Gaer (
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
for "bald hill of the fortress") 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 on a summit of
Llantysilio Mountain, northwest of the town of
Llangollen,
Denbighshire
Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. The site is a
scheduled monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
classified as a prehistoric defensive hillfort.
The hillfort is also protected and managed as part of the Heather and Hillforts Project. The project includes six hillforts: the four most southerly of the hillforts in the Clwydian Range (
Penycloddiau
Penycloddiau is a hill in Flintshire, Wales, and one of five Marilyns in the Clwydian Range.
The hill, like Foel Fenlli and Moel Arthur to the south, has an Iron Age hillfort at its summit. It covers making it one of the largest hillforts ...
,
Moel Arthur,
Moel y Gaer Llanbedr, and
Moel Fenlli), this hillfort and
Caer Drewyn
Caer Drewyn is an early Iron Age hillfort to the north of the town of Corwen, Denbighshire (Grid reference ). It has a large stone rampart with entrances on the west and north sides; there is a guard chamber within the north-east entrance, and it ...
.
Description
The defensive works at Moel y Gaer comprise a roughly oval area measuring about east-west by , enclosing approximately , and consist of a single rampart and a discontinuous ditch, with a single entrance on the eastern side. The stone bank is up to high externally and internally, and the ditch to the north is wide. The summit reaches above sea level. A track crossing the site from east to west, used by pedestrians and drivers of off-road vehicles, presents a threat to the archaeological remains.
Excavations and surveys
As part of the Heather and Hillforts Project a topographic survey was commissioned, which took place between December 2006 and January 2007. The survey recorded the remains of 11
roundhouse platforms within the enclosure, concentrated on the eastern side. A geophysical survey followed in 2009, which identified more possible roundhouses, along with possible internal tracks and two potential rectangular structures.
In 2010 an archaeological excavation identified two roundhouses of about diameter from different periods of occupation, and the results showed preservation of significant archaeological deposits in the interior of the hillfort, but also the fragile nature of the resource.
See also
*
List of hillforts in Wales
References
{{reflist, refs
[{{cite report
, title = Moel y Gaer, Cefn
, publisher = ]Cadw
(, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage s ...
, work = National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW)
, id = Cadw Id: DE126
[{{cite report
, title = Heather and Hillforts Survey Report: Moel y Gaer, Lantysilio
, last1 = Brooks
, first1 = I.P.
, last2 = Laws
, first2 = K.
, publisher = Engineering Archaeological Services
, date = January 2007
, url = http://www.clwydianrangeanddeevalleyaonb.org.uk/files/1170400685-Moel_y_gaer_llantysilio.pdf
, access-date = 25 April 2016
, page = 2
, id = EAS Survey Report 2007/01
]
[{{cite web
, title = Moel y Gaer Llantysilio
, url = http://www.cpat.org.uk/projects/longer/clwydian/clwydian.htm
, work = Heather and Hillforts: The Clwydian Hillforts Condition Survey
, publisher = Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust (CPAT)
, access-date = 25 April 2016
]
[{{cite web
, title = Submission to the UK Landscape Award 2010: Discovering Great Places
, url = http://www.uklandscapeaward.org/Entryfiles/1283865565Heather-Hillforts-statement.pdf
, publisher = Heather and Hillforts Partnership Board
, access-date = 25 April 2016
, page = 3
, date = August 2010
]
[{{cite web
, title = Moel-y-Gaer, Hillfort, Llantysilio
, work = National Monuments Record of Wales (NMRW)
, last = Driver
, first = T.
, date = 17 May 2010
, orig-year = 2008
, url = http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/306813/details
, access-date = 25 April 2016
, via ]
coflein
(online database of the NMRW)
, publisher = Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW)
, id = NPRN 306813
[{{cite web
, work = Historic Environment Record (HER)
, title = Moel y Gaer Llantysilio Hillfort
, url = http://www.cofiadurcahcymru.org.uk/arch/query/page.php?prn=CPAT101366
, via ]
archwilio
(online database of the four Welsh Archaeological Trusts)
, publisher = Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust (GGAT)
, access-date = 25 April 2016
, id = PRN 101366
[{{cite web
, title = Moel y Gaer
, url = http://www.hill-bagging.co.uk/mountaindetails.php?rf=3357
, website = Hill Bagging
, access-date = 25 April 2016
]
[{{cite web
, last1 = Grant
, first1 = I.
, title = Moel y Gaer Hillfort, Llantysilio, Denbighshire: Archaeological Excavation
, url = http://www.cpat.org.uk/resource/reports/cpat1059.pdf
, publisher = Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust (CPAT)
, access-date = 25 April 2016
, id = CPAT Report No 1059
, page = 3
, date=November 2010]
Archaeological sites in Denbighshire
Hillforts in Denbighshire
Scheduled monuments in Denbighshire