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Hendrefor Earthwork is a Roman enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference AN075. The monument sits upon bedrock of Upper Cambrian age, specifically including Tremadoc metasedimentary rocks formed during the Tremadocian period. These ancient geological foundations, some 480 million years old, underlie the later Roman construction.
The earthwork itself comprises the characteristic defensive ditches and banks typical of Roman military installations in Britain. Such enclosures served as temporary marching camps, forts or signal stations during Rome's occupation of Wales, which began in earnest during the first century AD. The Welsh upland landscape presented significant logistical challenges for Roman forces, making strategic fortified positions essential for controlling territory and maintaining supply routes.
The monument's survival as an earthwork rather than stone-built structure indicates its probable temporary or short-lived military function. The hard metasedimentary bedrock beneath would have made excavation difficult for Roman engineers, who may consequently have relied more heavily on bank and ditch construction. The site remains an important record of Roman military strategy and adaptation to the difficult terrain of Wales during the period of imperial occupation.
Hendrefor Earthwork is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference AN075. View the official record →
Hendrefor Earthwork is a Roman enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference AN075.
Hendrefor Earthwork dates from the roman period, and is classified as a enclosure. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Hendrefor Earthwork 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 AN075.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Gors y Brithdir Enclosed Hut Group & Ancient Fields (7.7 km), Fodol Ganol Enclosed Hut Group (8 km), Bryn-yr-Hen-Bobl Burial Chamber (8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Hendrefor Earthwork'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.
Hendrefor Earthwork stands on Upper Cambrian, Including Tremadoc, bedrock that formed in the Tremadocian. The rock here is metasedimentary rock.