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Hirllwyn Camp is a medieval enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference BR143. The site occupies ground underlain by Ludlow Rocks, a geological formation comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down during the Ludlow period. This solid bedrock of mixed sedimentary deposits would have presented particular challenges for any excavation or fortification undertaken at the enclosure.
The monument represents a form of medieval settlement defence common across Wales during the medieval period. Such enclosures typically comprised substantial earthwork boundaries—banks and ditches—designed to define and protect domestic or administrative space. The specific topography and geology of the Hirllwyn location would have influenced both the construction methods employed and the survival of these earthworks to the present day.
The site remains an important example of medieval land use and settlement pattern in Wales, contributing to understanding of how communities organised and defended space during this period. The Ludlow bedrock foundation has helped preserve the monument's earthwork features, allowing the enclosure's form and extent to remain visible in the modern landscape.
Hirllwyn Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR143. View the official record →
Hirllwyn Camp is a medieval enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference BR143.
Hirllwyn Camp dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a enclosure. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Hirllwyn 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 BR143.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Blaen Clydach Fach round cairn (7.1 km), Gilfach, Round Cairn 500m WSW of (8.1 km), Mynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone Circles (9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Hirllwyn 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.
Hirllwyn Camp stands on Ludlow Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ludlow. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.