Scheduled MonumentsWalesCefn-Du Camp
Prehistoric · Hillfort

Cefn-Du Camp

Wales
Cadw SAM MG008
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Hillfort
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Cefn-Du Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales on bedrock composed of Wenlock Rocks, a mixed sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down in the Wenlock period. The geology of this site—relatively soft sedimentary strata—would have presented specific challenges and opportunities for the construction and defence of the fort. The site is protected as a scheduled monument under Cadw, the Welsh heritage organisation, under reference MG008.

Hillforts of this type typically date to the Iron Age, though some may have origins in the Bronze Age. Such fortifications were commonly built on elevated positions to exploit natural topography, and the choice of this particular location would have been influenced by both the underlying solid geology and the surrounding landscape. The Wenlock bedrock, being more readily worked than harder igneous stone, may have facilitated ditch-cutting and rampart construction.

Today, Cefn-Du Camp survives as an archaeological monument reflecting Iron Age settlement patterns and defensive strategies in Wales. Its protection by Cadw recognises its significance to understanding prehistoric Welsh communities and their relationship with the land they occupied.

Cefn-Du Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MG008. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cefn-Du Camp?

Cefn-Du Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales on bedrock composed of Wenlock Rocks, a mixed sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down in the Wenlock period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MG008.

What period does Cefn-Du Camp date from?

Cefn-Du Camp dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a hillfort. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Cefn-Du Camp?

Cefn-Du Camp is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is MG008.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cefn-Du Camp?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Mound in Churchyard (4.1 km), Pen y Foel Camp (4.5 km), Camp 270m SSW of Ty Mawr (5.8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Cefn-Du Camp

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cefn-Du Camp's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Cefn-Du Camp

Cefn-Du Camp stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Cefn-Du Camp

Offa's DykeArchaeological site · ~15 miles