Prehistoric · Hillfort

Fan Camp

Carmarthenshire, Wales
Cadw SAM CM170
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Hillfort
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM CM170
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1955-06-07
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Fan Camp is a prehistoric hillfort located in Wales, situated on bedrock of Ashgill rocks comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. The monument is protected by Cadw under reference CM170. The underlying geology of these sedimentary rocks, formed during the Ashgill period, provided the natural foundation for the site's construction and would have influenced both the hillfort's defensive positioning and the practicality of fortification work.

Hillforts of this type typically date to the Iron Age, though some may have origins in the Late Bronze Age. They served as defended settlements, storage centres or gathering places for the communities who built them. The choice of location at Fan Camp reflects the strategic importance of the site's topography, offering natural advantages for defence and visibility across the surrounding landscape. The mudstone and siltstone bedrock characteristic of the Ashgill formation would have provided adequate conditions for the erection of ramparts and ditches.

Today, the monument survives as a visible earthwork representing an important phase of prehistoric Welsh settlement. As a protected site under Cadw's stewardship, Fan Camp contributes to our understanding of Iron Age communities in Wales and the ways in which they organised their settlements and defences across the landscape.

Fan Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM170. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Fan Camp?

Fan Camp is a prehistoric hillfort located in Wales, situated on bedrock of Ashgill rocks comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CM170.

What period does Fan Camp date from?

Fan 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 Fan Camp?

Fan 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 CM170.

What other scheduled monuments are near Fan Camp?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Castell Meurig (5.2 km), Waun Pwtlyn Long Barrow (6.4 km), Llys-Brychan Roman Site (6.7 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Fan Camp

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Fan 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 Fan Camp

Fan Camp stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.