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Maes y Castell is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference CM149. The site occupies bedrock composed of Ashgill Rocks, an undifferentiated sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone deposited during the Ashgill age in the late Ordovician period. This mixed geology would have provided varied soil conditions across the hilltop, influencing both the construction of defences and the settlement's agricultural potential.
Hillforts of this type typically date from the Iron Age, though some were occupied or reoccupied over many centuries. Their elevated positions offered natural advantages for defence and visibility across the surrounding landscape. The choice of this particular location, with its solid foundation of Ordovician strata, would have supported the construction of substantial earthwork ramparts and internal structures characteristic of such monuments.
The survival of Maes y Castell as an archaeological site allows investigation of Iron Age settlement patterns and defensive strategies in Wales. The underlying geology has shaped both the monument's physical character and its preservation, whilst the site's protected status ensures continued opportunities for study and conservation of this important aspect of Wales's prehistoric heritage.
Maes y Castell is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM149. View the official record →
Maes y Castell is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference CM149.
Maes y Castell dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a hillfort. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Maes y Castell 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 CM149.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Dinefwr Park Roman Forts (5.6 km), Ffairfach standing stone (6.4 km), Castell Dinefwr (6.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Maes y Castell'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.
Maes y Castell stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.