Scheduled MonumentsWalesFfawyddog Gaer
Prehistoric · Hillfort

Ffawyddog Gaer

Breconshire, Wales
Cadw SAM BR060
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Hillfort
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Ffawyddog Gaer is a prehistoric hillfort in Wales protected by Cadw under reference BR060. The monument occupies ground above Lower Devonian bedrock of sandstone and conglomerate, formed during the Early Devonian period. This geological foundation would have provided the fort's builders with accessible stone for construction and fortification.

The hillfort typifies the strategic settlements established across Wales during the Iron Age, when communities constructed defended enclosures on elevated terrain to command views across surrounding land. Such positions offered both defensive advantage and control of local resources and communication routes. The choice of location reflects the builders' understanding of landscape and the practical advantages of high ground.

Ffawyddog Gaer remains an important record of Iron Age settlement patterns and engineering in Wales. Though the visible remains today document the monument's basic form, its survival under Cadw's protection ensures ongoing opportunity for future study of its construction techniques, chronology and role within the wider prehistoric settlement hierarchy of the region.

Ffawyddog Gaer is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR060. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Ffawyddog Gaer?

Ffawyddog Gaer is a prehistoric hillfort in Wales protected by Cadw under reference BR060.

What period does Ffawyddog Gaer date from?

Ffawyddog Gaer 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 Ffawyddog Gaer?

Ffawyddog Gaer 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 BR060.

What other scheduled monuments are near Ffawyddog Gaer?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ironstone Quarries at Carreg Maen Taro (8.4 km), Dyne Steel Incline (8.7 km), Brake Engine on Hill Pits Tramroad Incline (9.7 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Ffawyddog Gaer

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Ffawyddog Gaer'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Ffawyddog Gaer

Ffawyddog Gaer stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.