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Half Moon Camp is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference GM477. The monument sits upon bedrock of the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, deposited during the Westphalian period. This underlying geology comprises mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete, creating a landscape shaped by ancient coal-bearing sediments typical of the South Wales coalfield region.
The enclosure takes its distinctive name from its characteristic half-moon shaped plan. Such univallate or multivallate earthworks are characteristic of Iron Age settlement patterns across Wales and the broader British Isles, though the monument's precise date and function remain subjects of archaeological study. The form suggests a deliberately planned fortification or domestic settlement, with the curved bank configuration offering defensive advantages on its elevated position.
The survival of Half Moon Camp's earthwork today reflects the protective geology beneath it. The ferricrete and ironstone bands of the Coal Measures bedrock have resisted erosion, anchoring the monument's banks to the landscape. This geological foundation has preserved the site's archaeological integrity across millennia, making it a valuable record of prehistoric settlement practices in the Welsh uplands and an important heritage asset under Cadw's stewardship.
Half Moon Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM477. View the official record →
Half Moon Camp is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference GM477.
Half Moon Camp dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a enclosure. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Half Moon 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 GM477.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town (4.1 km), Sculptured Cross Llanmihangel Farm (4.2 km), Leat & Dam at Llanmihangel Mill (4.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Half Moon Camp'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.
Half Moon Camp stands on South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.