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Mynydd y Gaer (Lower) Camp is a prehistoric hillfort located in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled ancient monument (reference GM055). The site occupies ground underlain by the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, a Westphalian-age deposit comprising mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete. This variable bedrock geology would have presented both opportunities and constraints for the hillfort's construction and use.
The monument belongs to the tradition of hillforts common across Iron Age Britain, settlements whose elevated positions provided defensive advantage and commanding views of the surrounding landscape. The camp's placement on coal-bearing bedrock reflects the geological character of the South Wales coalfield region, where such deposits were concentrated in subsurface strata.
As a scheduled monument under state protection, Mynydd y Gaer (Lower) Camp remains an important archaeological resource for understanding prehistoric settlement patterns and defensive strategies in Wales. The site contributes to broader knowledge of Iron Age communities and their adaptation to the distinctive landscape and resources of south-eastern Wales.
Mynydd y Gaer (Lower) Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM055. View the official record →
Mynydd y Gaer (Lower) Camp is a prehistoric hillfort located in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled ancient monument (reference GM055).
Mynydd y Gaer (Lower) 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.
Mynydd y Gaer (Lower) 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 GM055.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ergyd Isaf Round Barrows (6.2 km), Ergyd Uchaf Round Barrow (6.7 km), Chain Home Low Radar Station, Margam (7.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Mynydd y Gaer (Lower) 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.
Mynydd y Gaer (Lower) Camp stands on South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.