Scheduled MonumentsWalesParc-Cynog Camp
Prehistoric · Promontory Fort - inland

Parc-Cynog Camp

Carmarthenshire, Wales
Cadw SAM CM138
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Promontory Fort - inland
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM CM138
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1951-07-07
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Parc-Cynog Camp is a prehistoric promontory fort situated inland in Wales. The monument occupies a naturally defensible position where the topography provides steep slopes that would have required minimal artificial fortification. The underlying bedrock of Pridoli rocks—comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone—forms part of the solid geology of this region. The fort exemplifies the settlement strategy of Iron Age communities who selected prominent headlands and spurs to establish enclosed settlements, controlling territory and protecting inhabitants and livestock.

The site's promontory location offered significant defensive advantages, with natural scarps reducing the length of rampart required to create an enclosed settlement. Such positions were chosen by prehistoric peoples for their commanding views of surrounding land and water routes, facilitating both defence and the monitoring of economic activity. The earthwork fortifications, constructed across the neck of the spur, would have created a secure refuge with controlled access.

Parc-Cynog Camp is protected as a scheduled monument under Cadw, the Welsh heritage conservation body, with the reference number CM138. The monument remains an important archaeological record of Iron Age settlement patterns in Wales, reflecting the social and economic organisation of prehistoric Welsh communities who occupied such fortified sites for extended periods.

Parc-Cynog Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM138. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Parc-Cynog Camp?

Parc-Cynog Camp is a prehistoric promontory fort situated inland in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CM138.

What period does Parc-Cynog Camp date from?

Parc-Cynog Camp dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a promontory fort - inland. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Parc-Cynog Camp?

Parc-Cynog 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 CM138.

What other scheduled monuments are near Parc-Cynog Camp?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Pant-Glas Camp (0.6 km), Castle-Lloyd Round Barrow (1.2 km), Castle-Lloyd Camp (1.4 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Parc-Cynog Camp

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Parc-Cynog 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 Parc-Cynog Camp

Parc-Cynog Camp stands on Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Pridoli. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.