Scheduled MonumentsWalesCefn y Castell
Prehistoric · Hillfort

Cefn y Castell

Wales
Cadw SAM MG007
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Hillfort
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Cefn y Castell is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales on bedrock of Caradoc Rocks, composed of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formed during the Caradocian period. The monument is protected by Cadw, the historic monuments service of Wales, under the reference MG007.

As a hillfort, the site represents a form of settlement characteristic of later prehistory, typically featuring defensive earthworks constructed to enclose and protect a community and its resources. The underlying geology of Caradoc Rocks would have influenced both the construction of defences and the character of the landscape visible from the fort, with the mixed sedimentary bedrock providing variable building material and drainage conditions across the site.

The protection afforded by Cadw recognition ensures that Cefn y Castell remains available for archaeological study and public access as a significant record of prehistoric settlement patterns in Wales. Such hillforts across Britain and Wales reveal important information about social organisation, defensive strategies and land use during the Iron Age and earlier periods, though the specific sequence of occupation and use at this site remains to be fully understood through future investigation.

Cefn y Castell is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MG007. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cefn y Castell?

Cefn y Castell is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales on bedrock of Caradoc Rocks, composed of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formed during the Caradocian period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MG007.

What period does Cefn y Castell date from?

Cefn y Castell 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 y Castell?

Cefn y Castell 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 MG007.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cefn y Castell?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Two bowl barrows 290m north of Upper House Farm (6.4 km), Black Bank Camp (7.1 km), Small enclosed Iron Age settlement and a length of an adjacent hollow way, 350m north west of Beechfield (7.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Cefn y Castell

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cefn y Castell'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 y Castell

Cefn y Castell stands on Caradoc Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Caradocian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.