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Cwm Nash Defended Enclosure is a prehistoric promontory fort located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference GM614. The site occupies a naturally defensible position, exploiting the landscape to create a stronghold during the Iron Age period. Its strategic placement demonstrates the careful selection of locations by prehistoric communities for settlement and fortification.
The monument sits upon bedrock of the Lias Group, a sequence of mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone deposited during the Aalenian age. This geology has shaped both the site's character and its defensive potential. The varied rock types underlying the enclosure would have influenced construction methods and the stability of the earthworks and timber structures that once fortified the promontory.
As a promontory fort, Cwm Nash would have been protected on some sides by natural cliff faces or steep slopes, with artificial defences concentrated on the landward approach. This common Iron Age defensive strategy minimised the labour required to fortify a settlement whilst maximising its security. The site represents an important element of the prehistoric settlement pattern across Wales during this period.
Cwm Nash Defended Enclosure is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM614. View the official record →
Cwm Nash Defended Enclosure is a prehistoric promontory fort located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference GM614.
Cwm Nash Defended Enclosure dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a promontory fort - inland. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cwm Nash Defended Enclosure 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 GM614.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Nash Point Round Barrows (1.4 km), Nash Point Camp (2 km), Area of Shrunken Medieval Village (2.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cwm Nash Defended Enclosure'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.
Cwm Nash Defended Enclosure stands on Lias Group, bedrock that formed in the Aalenian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone.