© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Cefn Llan Hillfort is a prehistoric fortified settlement built upon the Wenlock rocks of the Silurian period. The bedrock beneath the site comprises mudstone, siltstone and sandstone deposited over 400 million years ago when this part of Wales lay beneath an ancient sea. The hillfort's defences exploit the natural topography of the landscape, using the underlying geology to create a commanding position. Such hillforts typically date to the Iron Age, though their origins may be earlier, and served as refuges, settlements and focal points for the surrounding communities.
The monument's construction took advantage of the steep slopes and natural bedrock formations that characterise this area of Wales. The fortification would have required substantial labour to construct its ramparts and ditches, a commitment of resources that reflects the settlement's importance to its inhabitants. The Wenlock rocks, weathered and fractured by millennia of exposure, shaped the practical possibilities available to those who built here.
Cefn Llan Hillfort is scheduled and protected by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments service, under reference MG236. This protection recognises its significance as evidence of prehistoric occupation patterns and defensive settlement strategies in Wales. The site survives as an important archaeological record of Iron Age settlement within the landscape.
Cefn Llan Hillfort is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MG236. View the official record →
Cefn Llan Hillfort is a prehistoric fortified settlement built upon the Wenlock rocks of the Silurian period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MG236.
Cefn Llan Hillfort dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a hillfort. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cefn Llan Hillfort 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 MG236.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including The Lower Short Ditch (6.9 km), Upper Short Ditch (7.7 km), Upper Short Ditch Also in Powys: Wales (8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cefn Llan Hillfort's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Cefn Llan Hillfort stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.