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Dinas Dinlle Hillfort

Archaeological Watching Brief

GAT Project No. 2118 Report No. 847 Feb 2010

Ymddiriedolaeth Archaeolegol Gwynedd Archaeological Trust Craig Beuno, Ffordd y Garth, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2RT Archaeological Watching Brief: , Llandwrog

Report No. 847

Prepared for The National Trust

February 2010

Cover: Dinas Dinlle Hill Fort and WWII Seagull Trench from the North

By Matt Jones & Robert Evans

Ymddiriedolaeth Archaeolegol Gwynedd Gwynedd Archaeological Trust Craig Beuno, Ffordd y Garth, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2RT DINAS DINLLE, LLANDWROG

ARCHAEOLOGICAL WATCHING BRIEF 

Project No. G2118

Gwynedd Archaeological Trust Report No. 847   &217(1763DJH  6XPPDU\  ,QWURGXFWLRQ   6SHFLILFDWLRQDQG3URMHFW'HVLJQ    0HWKRGVDQG7HFKQLTXHV 

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  Summary  Dinas Dinlle,, a substantial late prehistoric hill fort located on an isolated hill of glacial drift, has a coastal location overlooking Bay south of Caernarfon, within an area of land managed by the National Trust. The site has been subject to extensive coastal erosion and also visitor erosion. To improve visitor access and to minimise foot erosion two schemes have been put in place, consisting of a fence to protect the cliff face, and a path way across the monument. The watching brief monitored both the instillation of a reinforced foot path through the monument and the fencing off of the coastal edge. This was designed to create a safe environment and to enable the possibility of using the land for grazing  The fence posts were all driven into the ground, so no new archaeological deposits were observed as a result of the erection of the new fencing. The new path was constructed upon new make-up material, so no archaeological deposits were affected.

1 INTRODUCTION  *Z\QHGG$UFKDHRORJLFDO7UXVW *$7 ZDVDVNHGE\1DWLRQDO7UXVWWRFDUU\RXWDZDWFKLQJEULHIWR REVHUYHWKHSODFHPHQWRIZRRGHQSRVWVIRUDQHZIHQFHDORQJWKHZHVWHUQFOLIIHGJHDW'LQDV'LQOOHKLOO IRUWORFDWHGDW1*56+7KLVIHQFHZDVSODFHGLQFRQMXQFWLRQZLWKDQHZSDWKWKURXJKWKH VLWHRIWKHKLOOIRUWDW'LQDV'LQOOHGXULQJ%RWKVFKHPHVZHUHSXWLQSODFHWRPLQLPLVHIRRW HURVLRQDQGDOVRWRGHILQHDQDUHDZKHUHLWZDVVDIHIRUYLVLWRUVWRZDON7KHIHQFLQJZDVDOVRSODFHGWR HQDEOHWKHUHLQWURGXFWLRQRIJUD]LQJDQLPDOVRQWKHVLWHWRSUHYHQWUDQNYHJHWDWLRQIURPREVFXULQJDQG GDPDJLQJWKHDUFKDHRORJ\GXULQJWKHZLQWHUPRQWKV

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4 TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY

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5 ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND

5.1 Introduction

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6 RESULTS OF THE WATCHING BRIEF  1RLPSDFWRQWKHDUFKDHRORJ\RI'LQDV'LQOOHEH\RQGWKDWRIGULYLQJLQWKHSRVWVZDVREVHUYHGLQWKH SODFHPHQWRIWKHIHQFHSRVWVDQGDOOFRQGLWLRQVZLWKLQWKHPHWKRGVWDWHPHQWZHUHREVHUYHGWRFDXVHDV OLWWOHGLVWXUEDQFHDVSRVVLEOHWRWKHVLWH 

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9 SOURCES CONSULTED

*ULIILWKV:(µ5RPDQ&RLQVIURP'LQDV'LQOOH¶Trans. Caerns. Hist. Soc   5&$+0:An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Caernarvonshire. Vol II: Central /RQGRQ   6PLWK%DQG*HRUJH71British Regional Geology; North /RQGRQ   6PLWK*+A Survey of Prehistoric Defended Enclosures in North West Wales 2004-5 (West Conwy, Gwynedd (Arfon) and Part 1: Survey Report XQSXEOLVKHG*$75HSRUW1R   6RLO6XUYH\RI(QJODQGDQG:DOHVSoils of Wales

Coflein: RCAHMW on-line database

Gwynedd Historic Environment Record



  Fig. 1 Location of New Fencing and Pathway at Dinas Dinlle (taken from NationBM Trust Drawing) Plate 1 Interior of Dinas Dinlle Hill Fort, Facing East, showing Fence Line

Plate 2 Western Banks of the Hill fort, Facing West Plate 3 Hand Placment of Fence Posts

Plate 4 Mechanical Post Placement Plate 5 Redeposited soil, consolidation material brought in to stabilize and protect ramparts prior to laying pathway

Plate 6 General View of Hill Fort from the North, Showing Eroding Coastline 9-$$)2)%$/,!%4( '79.%$$ !2#(!%/,%'/, !2#(!%/,/')#!, '79.%$$ 42534

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