Scheduled MonumentsWalesMoel Offrwm Camp
Prehistoric · Hillfort

Moel Offrwm Camp

Meirionnydd, Wales
Cadw SAM ME021
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Hillfort
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Moel Offrwm Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales on bedrock composed of Ordovician extrusive rocks, formed from ancient mafic lava flows laid down over 450 million years ago. The hillfort occupies a naturally commanding position afforded by this underlying geology, which would have provided both defensive advantage and a stable foundation for its ramparts and internal structures.

The monument is protected by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments service, under the reference ME021, reflecting its significance as a key surviving example of Iron Age or Bronze Age settlement strategy in the Welsh landscape. Such hillforts typically served as fortified settlements, refuges and centres of authority, their elevated positions offering visibility across surrounding territory and control over local routes.

The volcanic bedrock beneath Moel Offrwm Camp would have influenced both the fort's construction techniques and its strategic value. The exposed rock outcrops characteristic of such terrain often provided natural scarpment defences, reducing the labour required to construct artificial ramparts. This geological foundation, combined with the monument's protective status, makes it an important record of prehistoric Welsh settlement and defensive architecture.

Moel Offrwm Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME021. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Moel Offrwm Camp?

Moel Offrwm Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales on bedrock composed of Ordovician extrusive rocks, formed from ancient mafic lava flows laid down over 450 million years ago. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference ME021.

What period does Moel Offrwm Camp date from?

Moel Offrwm 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 Moel Offrwm Camp?

Moel Offrwm 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 ME021.

What other scheduled monuments are near Moel Offrwm Camp?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Brithdir Roman Fort (3.1 km), Pentre Farm Barrow (3.4 km), Llanelltyd Bridge (3.6 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Moel Offrwm Camp

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Moel Offrwm 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 Moel Offrwm Camp

Moel Offrwm Camp stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is mafic lava.