Small enclosed Iron Age or Romano-British settlement and adjacent cultivation remains, 450m north west of Cwm Farm

Reasons for Designation

During the Iron Age and Roman period a variety of settlement types were constructed throughout Britain. Small enclosed settlements consist of discrete areas of occupation, bounded largely or wholly by continuous single or concentric ditches, banks or walls, and palisades. The size of these curvilinear or rectilinear enclosures is generally less than 2ha. They were occupied by a small community, perhaps a single family or several related family groups. In their original form the enclosures contained a single main domestic building, or several clusters of domestic buildings. These structures are normally circular and are often associated with rectangular buildings used for the storage of agricultural produce. Small enclosed settlements became common features in the landscape during the second half of the first millennium BC and throughout the Roman period. They were the dwelling places of people engaged in small-scale farming and craft production. Considerable numbers of small enclosed settlements are known, but most have been levelled by ploughing. All small enclosed settlements where earthwork or standing structural remains survive are considered to be of national importance.

Although it has been partially modified by later agricultural activity, the small enclosed Iron Age or Romano-British settlement 450m north west of Cwm Farm is a good example of this class of monument. In common with other broadly contemporary settlements in this area, it is considered to contain significant buried deposits, structural features, artefactual and organic remains, which have the potential to illustrate many aspects of life during the Iron Age and Roman period. The earthworks forming the enclosure will retain evidence about the nature of their construction. In addition, organic remains surviving in the buried ground surfaces beneath the banks and within the ditch will provide important information about the local environment and the use of the surrounding land before the settlement was built and during its occupation.

The preservation of cultivation remains next to the enclosed settlement indicates the changing nature of agricultural practice here from arable to pastoral farming, and contributes to our understanding of the agrarian history of this region.

Details

The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a small enclosed Iron Age or Romano-British settlement and adjacent cultivation remains. The enclosed settlement is situated on a gentle south east facing slope, which forms a shelf on the northern side of a narrow, steep-sided valley. This shelf is defined on its north eastern side by a short gully. From the enclosed settlement there is a commanding view over the valley to the south and south east. About 2km to the south west is another small enclosed Iron Age or Romano-British settlement known as Caer-Din Ring, which is the subject of a separate scheduling.

This small settlement is rectangular in plan. Its overall dimensions are approximately 65m north west-south east by 60m south west-north east, and its internal area about 0.15ha. The north eastern side of the settlement is defined by a bank, which was created by artifically steepening the natural slope forming the south west side of the gully. Along the north western and south western sides, the settlement is defined by two banks separated by a ditch. These earthworks are much more pronounced on the north western side, where the outer edge of the ditch is marked by a steep scarp about 2m deep, and the interior of the inner bank stands up to 2.1m high. For much of its length the outer bank on the north west side is visible as a slight rise. At the western corner the outer bank was built to a greater height in order to compensate for the differences in the level of the sloping ground. The bank here stands to a height of 1.4m. The enclosing earthworks on the south western and south eastern sides have been modified to some extent by the later cultivation of the area, which has reduced the height of the banks and has resulted in the infilling of the ditch. Despite its infilling, the ditch around these sides survives well as a buried feature. Although no longer visible at ground level, evidence from aerial photographs indicates that the original entrance into the interior was at the mid-point on the south eastern side. Within the interior there are a series of level areas, which provided platforms for the construction of buildings.

Immediately to the north of the enclosure are remains of ridge and furrow cultivation, orientated east-west. The straight and narrow form of this cultivation system indicates that it is likely to be post-medieval in date. A 50m length of these remains is included in the scheduling in order to preserve their relationship with the enclosed settlement.

All fence posts are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

34947

Legacy System:

RSM

End of official list entry

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