The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust (CPAT) ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth Archeolegol Clwyd-Powys (YACP)) is an educational charity which was established in 1975. Its objective is ‘to advance the education of the public in archaeology’. CPAT is one of four

Welsh Archaeological Trusts The Welsh Archaeological Trusts ( cy, Ymddiriedolaethau Archaeolegol Cymru) are four archaeological organisations established in the mid-1970s to respond to rescue archaeology. They are independent charitable trusts which together provide a uniform ...

(WATs) which work to help protect, record and interpret all aspects of the historic environment. This includes providing advice to local authorities on archaeology and planning, undertaking archaeological projects for private- and public-sector clients, and delivering a programme of community archaeology events and activities.

History

CPAT was established in 1975 along with three other

. It emerged from the ‘Rescue Archaeology Group’ (RAG) which was set up in 1970 by Chris Musson, who became the first Chief Executive of CPAT. The Trust undertook pioneering work on prehistoric sites in mid-Wales, beginning with the excavation of the Breidden

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 ...

(Powys) which was being destroyed by quarrying. This was followed by the excavation of a late

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 ...

hillslope enclosure at Collfryn (Powys), which found evidence for intensive occupation and remodelling of the site, including round-houses and ‘four-poster’ structures that were probably granaries. CPAT has also undertaken extensive excavations of medieval sites such as

Offa's Dyke Offa's Dyke ( cy, Clawdd Offa) is a large linear earthwork that roughly follows the border between England and Wales. The structure is named after Offa, the Anglo-Saxon king of Mercia from AD 757 until 796, who is traditionally believed to ha ...

and

Hen Domen Hen Domen Welsh, meaning "old mound", is the site of a medieval timber motte-and-bailey castle in Powys, Wales. It is the site of the original Montgomery Castle, and was built by Roger de Montgomery in 1070. From 1105 the castle was the home of t ...

, near Montgomery. CPAT and the other

were pioneers in developing Historic Environment Records (HERs). In the 1970s Wales was the first part of the UK to develop a fully national system of what were then called ‘Sites and Monuments Records’; this fully computerised system was pioneered by Don Benson who was then Chief Executive of the Dyfed Archaeological Trust. During the 1980s there had been good support from government for archaeology, including from Cadw which had been established in 1984. However, with the decline of the

Manpower Services Commission The Manpower Services Commission (MSC) was a non-departmental public body of the Department of Employment Group in the United Kingdom created by Edward Heath's Conservative Government in 1973. The MSC had a remit to co-ordinate employment and tr ...

funding models began to shift to a more ‘development driven’ model during this period. With the rise of planning-related archaeology in the 1990s CPAT evolved to develop commercial ‘contract’ archaeology services, whilst at the same time maintaining the HER, planning services and other public-facing project work. In recent years the main focus of CPAT's fieldwork has moved away from large-scale thematic studies of Welsh monuments and landscapes, to more site-specific work undertaken as part of development-led projects. This has led to a wider portfolio of projects across Wales, and in adjacent areas of England. CPAT has also diversified funding and partnerships for public archaeology projects, including long-running and successful partnerships with the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

and the

Clwydian Range and Dee Valley , iucn_category =V , iucn_ref = , photo =Sunny Hillside, Frosty Valley Dee Valley Wales (11014647076).jpg , photo_width = , photo_alt =Image of the view of the Dee Valley from Moel Y Gamelin , photo_caption = ...

AONB.

Operation and organisation

Along with the other

CPAT forms part of a ‘tripod’ of institutions which help understand, conserve and interpret archaeology and cultural heritage in Wales. The Trust system in Wales is characterised by depth of regional knowledge and expertise, which partly comes from having many different roles in one organisation. The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust is organised into three principal departments. * The Historic Environment Advisory Service does work that in other parts of the UK are delivered by local authorities or by state heritage bodies. The three key areas of operation are: maintaining the regional Historic Environment Record (HER); providing planning advice for local authorities, developers and other bodies; and undertaking heritage management work for Welsh Government, local authorities, landowners, and others. * The Education and Outreach team run a series of events and activities for the general public, providing education about the archaeological history of the region, and also giving an insight into the work of archaeologists. Some of this work is targeted at areas of social and economic exclusion, including recent work in north-east Wales. * The Field Services team are responsible for the delivery of archaeological projects funded by private- and public-sector bodies. These include historic environment characterisation, site assessment surveys, field evaluation and excavation, and threat-related excavation and survey. CPAT is a Registered Organisation with the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. CPAT is both a limited company (1212455) and a registered

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * C ...

(508301). It therefore provides publicly-accessible accounts to

Companies House Companies House is the executive agency of the company registrars of the United Kingdom, falling under the remit of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. All forms of companies (as permitted by the Companies Act) are in ...

and to the Charity Commission in the UK. The governing body is the Board of Trustees, who are voluntary non-executive directors. The Trustees delegate their authority for the day-to-day running of the Trust to the Director (Chief Executive). The current Director was appointed in 2013.

Notable people

* Philip Barker, Chair of the Trust 1984-1991 * Paul Belford, Director of the Trust since 2013 * Bill Britnell, Director of the Trust 1986-2013 * Frances Lynch, Chair of the Trust 1991-2017 * Christopher R. Musson, Director of the Trust 1974-1986, and Trustee 2005-2021 * Sian Rees, Chair of the Trust since 2017

Beacon Ring

Since 2008 the Trust has owned Beacon Ring, a

on the Long Mountain near Welshpool. The site was purchased to help safeguard the earthworks for the future. In recent years CPAT has undertaken some archaeological excavations on the site. Fieldwork in 2018 and 2019 investigated the ramparts and entrances. In 2020 a mound at the centre of the site was investigated. Some accounts had suggested that this was a prehistoric

burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

. However excavation found that this was probably the location of the eponymous beacon, almost certainly of post-medieval date. The mound had later been re-used by the

Ordnance Survey Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of 1745. There was a ...

as a

trig point A triangulation station, also known as a trigonometrical point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity. The nomenclature varies regionally: they a ...

, both in the 19th century

Principal Triangulation of Great Britain The Principal Triangulation of Britain was the first high-precision triangulation survey of the whole of Great Britain (including Ireland), carried out between 1791 and 1853 under the auspices of the Board of Ordnance. The aim of the survey was ...

and subsequently, with the most recent trig point being installed in 1948.

Notable projects

*Breidden hillfort excavations *Collfryn enclosure excavations *Walton Basin (Hindwell) excavations *Roman and later Deeside *Offa's Dyke and Wat's Dyke *Four Crosses bypass *Upland landscapes *Roman roads *North-east Wales Community Archaeology

References

External links

Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust websiteCPAT Historic Environment Record
* ttp://www.dyfedarchaeology.org.uk/40years.pdf 'Archaeology in Trust' booklet celebrating 40 years of the Welsh Archaeological Trustsbr>Archwilio website
{{Authority control Archaeology of Wales Archaeological organizations Historical organisations based in Wales 1970s establishments in Wales Archaeology of the United Kingdom