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Pen y Bannau Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales on bedrock of Llandovery age mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. The monument is protected by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments service, under reference CD109. Hillforts of this type typically date to the Iron Age, serving as fortified settlements that commanded strategic positions across the landscape. Their elevated locations afforded both defensive advantage and visibility across surrounding territories.
The geological foundation of Llandovery rocks would have presented particular challenges and opportunities to Iron Age communities. The relatively soft mudstone and siltstone bedrock, interspersed with sandstone bands, required constructive adaptation for rampart construction. Communities occupying the site would have exploited local stone and earthwork resources available in their immediate landscape to construct defensive structures and domestic enclosures.
Pen y Bannau Camp preserves evidence of prehistoric occupation and settlement patterns within its landscape context. The site's location reflects Iron Age understanding of territorial control and resource management in Wales. As a scheduled monument, the hillfort remains an important archaeological resource, contributing to broader understanding of prehistoric Welsh settlement hierarchies and the adaptation of communities to their local geology and terrain.
Pen y Bannau Camp is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD109. View the official record →
Pen y Bannau Camp is a prehistoric hillfort situated in Wales on bedrock of Llandovery age mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CD109.
Pen y Bannau 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.
Pen y Bannau 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 CD109.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bryngwyn Bach Round Cairn Cemetery (4.2 km), Carn Fflur Round Cairn Cemetery (4.6 km), Garn Gron Round Cairn Cemetery (5.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Pen y Bannau 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.
Pen y Bannau Camp stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.