Scheduled MonumentsWalesLlanvithyn Camp
Prehistoric · Hillfort

Llanvithyn Camp

Wales
Cadw SAM GM293
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Hillfort
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM GM293
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1962-10-10
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Llanvithyn Camp is a prehistoric hillfort located in Wales and scheduled for protection by Cadw under reference GM293. The monument occupies bedrock of the Lias Group, a geological formation laid down during the Aalenian period and comprising mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone. This underlying geology shaped both the site's position in the landscape and the character of the slopes on which its defences were constructed.

The hillfort's defensive works follow the contours of its elevated location, taking advantage of the natural topography afforded by the underlying Aalenian strata. Such hillforts represent a characteristic form of settlement dating from the Iron Age, typically comprising one or more circuits of banks and ditches enclosing an interior settlement area. The specific geology of the site—particularly the mix of softer mudstones and siltstones with harder limestone bands—would have influenced how its builders excavated ditches and constructed ramparts.

Today Llanvithyn Camp remains a substantial earthwork monument, preserving evidence of Iron Age settlement patterns and defensive strategies adapted to the Welsh landscape. Its designation under Cadw protection recognises the archaeological significance of hillforts in understanding prehistoric communities and their relationship with the land they occupied.

Llanvithyn Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM293. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Llanvithyn Camp?

Llanvithyn Camp is a prehistoric hillfort located in Wales and scheduled for protection by Cadw under reference GM293.

What period does Llanvithyn Camp date from?

Llanvithyn 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 Llanvithyn Camp?

Llanvithyn 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 GM293.

What other scheduled monuments are near Llanvithyn Camp?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including East Orchard Manor House (4.6 km), East Orchard Wood Pillbox (4.9 km), West Aberthaw Medieval Site (5.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Llanvithyn Camp

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

The bedrock under Llanvithyn Camp

Llanvithyn Camp stands on Lias Group, bedrock that formed in the Aalenian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Llanvithyn Camp

Caerphilly CastleArchaeological site · ~11.3 miles