Uplands Initiative
Aberedw Hill Archaeological Survey Part One
Report by: Trysor
For: The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
March 2008
Uplands Initiative
Aberedw Hill Archaeological Survey
By
Jenny Hall MIFA & Paul Sambrook Trysor
Trysor Project No. 2008/114
For: The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
Royal Commission Ref. No. RCS 1/2/73
March 2008
Cover photograph: A possible round barrow NPRN 272472 near Blackrock Pools, Aberedw Hill. CONTENTS
PART 1
1.1 Crynodeb 1
1.2. Summary 2
1.3 Introduction 3 Extent of area covered in km2 Previous Fieldwork Methodology
2. Analysis of Sites recorded in the Survey Area 8 Number of sites Summary of sites by Broad Class Summary of sites by Period Summary of sites by Type Summary of sites by Altitude Significant new sites
3 Value of AP mapping to the field project 20
4 Aberedw Hill History and Archaeology 23 Characteristics and comparisons
Prehistory 25 Evidence in adjacent areas Bronze Age funerary and ritual monuments Significance of the prehistoric archaeology
Medieval and Later Deserted Rural Settlements 29 Farmsteads & Cottages Platforms, Long Huts and Longhouses Agricultural Activity The significance of the deserted settlements
Post Medieval Industries 37 Quarrying Significance of the industrial sites
5 Conclusions 39
6 Sources 40
7 Recommendations 42 Detailed site analysis Sites for pollen analysis and other environmental sampling Sites for inclusion on Ordnance Survey mapping
Appendix A – Site Type Summary 44 Appendix B – Period Summary 52 Appendix C – Contour Summary 58 Appendix D - Uplands Initiative Air Photo Mapping 65
Figures
Figure 1: Location of study area 3 Figure 2: The Aberedw Hill study area 6 Figure 3: Distribution of sites by Broad Class 9 Figure 4: Distribution of sites by Period 11 Figure 5: Distribution of sites by Altitude 14 Figure 6: Pen Waun Pool Deserted Rural Settlement 17 Figure 7: Deserted Rural Settlements on Aberedw Hill 18 Figure 8: Features plotted by the RCAHMW from aerial photographs 22 Figure 9: Prehistoric funerary and ritual sites 27 Figure 10: Settlement sites 32 Figure 11: The distribution of quarries 38
Tables
Table 1: Broad Class 8 Table 2: Sites by Period 10 Table 3: Sites by Type 12 Table 4: Sites by contour band 13 Table 5: Bronze Age funerary monuments known prior to 2007 25 Table 6: Possible Bronze Age funerary monuments 26 Table 7: Settlement related sites recorded in 2007-2008 29
PART 2 (bound separately)
Location maps
Site gazetteer
Uplands Initiative – Aberedw Hill 2008
1.1 Crynodeb
Cyflawnwyd arolwg archaeolegol yn ardal astudiaeth Mynydd Aberedw gan gwmni Trysor yn ystod hydref 2007 a gaeaf 2007-2008, gyda chymorth ariannol trwy brosiect Menter yr Uwchdiroedd y Comisiwn Brenhinol ar Henebion Cymru. Gorwedd ardal yr astudiaeth tua’r dwyrain o dref Llanfair ym Muallt, rhwng pentrefi bychain Hundred House, Cregrina ac Aberedw.
Cofnodwyd dros 250 o safleoedd ac olion archaeolegol newydd o fewn yr ardal dan sylw, sy’n ymestyn dros 11 cilomedr sgwâr o dir sydd yn bennaf yn borfeydd mynyddig, heb ei wella, tiroedd comin hanesyddol plwyfi Llanfaredd, Aberedw a Chregrina. Roedd presenoldeb trwch o redyn dros y llethrau o dan 400m o uchder yn gwneud gwaith maes yn anodd, ac oherwydd hynny gwnaed y rhan fwyaf ohono dros fisoedd y gaeaf, ar adeg pan oedd y llystyfiant wedi gwywo.
Cafwyd peth dystiolaeth archaeolegol am weithgarwch dynol yn y cyfnodau cynhanesyddol, gyda nifer o garneddau yno sy’n dyddio i Oes yr Efydd, prawf pendant bod y dirwedd wedi cael ei defnyddio gan gymunedau dynol dros 3,000 mlynedd yn ôl. Mae’r ardal hefyd yn cynnwys llawer iawn o dystiolaeth archaeolegol yr ardal sy’n perthyn i’r canoloesoedd a’r cyfnod ôl-ganoloesol cynnar, sef olion aneddiadau a thystiolaeth am weithgarwch amaethyddol. Cofnodwyd nifer sylweddol o lwyfannau a chytiau hirion. Cyfrifir y rhain fel safleoedd tai a bythynnod sydd hen wedi diflannu. Daethpwyd o hyd i olion hen gaeau a llociau oedd yn gysylltiedig â hwy, yn ogystal â hen gwysi, tystiolaeth bod ymgais wedi bod i aredig a ffermio’r tir mynyddig mewn rhai mannau ar ryw adeg yn y gorffennol.
Yn ystod cyfnodau diweddarach, gwnaed ymgais i ddiffinio ffin y comin yn well. Ceir olion nifer fawr o chwareli bychain, lle cafwyd cerrig er mwyn i godi cloddiau cerrig o gwmpas y comin. Diben hynny oedd cadw anifeiliaid ar y comin dros fisoedd yr haf, ac i ffwrdd o’r caeau a phentrefi yn y cymoedd cyfagos.
Porfeydd mynyddig a thir comin yw’r rhan fwyaf o’r ardal astudiaeth. Heddiw, defaid yn unig sy’n pori’r comin. Ceir digon o byllau a nentydd naturiol i ddisychedu’r preiddiau. Croesir y bryniau gan rwydwaith o lwybrau sydd yn ei wneud yn hawdd iawn i gyrraedd bron pob rhan o’r ardal. Ar y cyfan, mae digon o dir cymharol wastad ar y bryniau i ganiatáu i ffermwyr y fro dorri’r rhedyn, sydd mor drwchus yma. Gwneir hyn gyda pheiriannau yn gynnar yn yr hydref ac mae’r llystyfiant yn cael ei balo a’i defnyddio yn lle gwellt dros fisoedd y gaeaf ar y ffermydd o gwmpas y mynydd.
Yn fwyfwy mae gweithgareddau megis cerdded yn dod ag ymwelwyr newydd i fryniau Aberedw. Gall hyn greu problemau newydd ar gyfer diogelu treftadaeth yma yn y dyfodol. Y gobaith yw y bydd y cofnod manwl o archaeoleg yr ardal fodd i helpu pobl mwynhau a deall yr ardal yn well, ac yn gymorth i’r sawl sydd am ddiogelu treftadaeth y fro rhag niwed dianghenraid.
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Uplands Initiative – Aberedw Hill 2008
1.2 Summary
An archaeological field survey of the Aberedw Hill study area was undertaken by Trysor during the autumn and winter of 2007-2008, grant aided as part of the RCAHMW's Uplands Initiative project. The area lies to the east of Builth Wells, between the villages of Hundred House, Cregrina and Aberedw.
Fieldwork identified over 250 new archaeological sites and features in a study area which extended over some 11 km2 of predominantly unimproved mountain pasture, the historic commons of the parishes of Llanfaredd, Aberedw and Cregrina. The presence of dense bracken below the 400m contour within the study area caused considerable difficulty for the field survey, much of which could not be undertaken until the winter months, when the bracken had withered.
There is some evidence of prehistoric activity, with several well-preserved Bronze Age round barrows recorded within the area, providing solid proof that the landscape here was exploited by human communities over 3,000 years ago. The study area also contains a significant amount of archaeological evidence relating to settlement and agricultural activity in the medieval and post-medieval periods. This includes platforms and long huts, many of which are suspected to be former dwelling sites, often within or associated with, earthwork enclosures and evidence of cultivation.
It appears that in recent centuries some attempts to properly define the common boundary were made. In several areas, small quarries were dug at the edge of the common to provide stone for boundary walls to better define the common edge and keep stock on the hill pastures and away from the enclosed lands on the lower-lying, inhabited valleys.
Most of the landscape within the area is hill pasture and designated common land. These pastures are now used almost exclusively for sheep grazing. The hills within the study area are crossed by numerous trackways, which provide easy access. There are a plentiful supply of natural pools and streams to provide ample water for the grazing flocks. The relatively gentle slopes that are found across much of the area allow local farmers to make use of the dense bracken that grows up to the 400m contour. Large areas of bracken are mown during the early autumn and the vegetation is baled for use as winter bedding for stock wintered on farms around the mountain fringe.
Increasingly leisure activities, particularly walking, are bringing new users to the Aberedw hills, which may in future present new problems for the management of heritage sites. The comprehensive record of archaeological features that has been created by this project will hopefully enhance the enjoyment and understanding of the area in future, whilst serving to protect its heritage from avoidable damage.
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Uplands Initiative – Aberedw Hill 2008
1.3 Introduction
This field project and related desktop research was undertaken by Trysor during 2007- 2008, grant-aided by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales (RCAHMW).
Desktop research was undertaken during June 2007, and the fieldwork was carried out over 8 days during the autumn and winter of 2007-2008. Problems caused by thick bracken and heather cover were responsible for this division of the fieldwork into two halves, as considerable portions of the study area are effectively unsurveyable during the summer and autumn months. The final report was compiled during March 2008.
The area was designated as “Aberedw Hill” and was focused on an upland block that lies to the east of Builth Wells, between the Wye and Edw rivers (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Location of study area
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Uplands Initiative – Aberedw Hill 2008
Much of the study area comprises high and relatively gentle hills, peaking at 451m on Aberedw Hill itself. The northern and western sides of the study area are defined by often steep slopes, along the eastern side of the Wye valley. These slopes form a steep escarpment along the northern side of the study area in particular. A series of deeply cut stream valleys run southwards from the heart of the area, which are divided by broad, relatively flat ridges with rounded local summits. The most significant of these streams are the Milo Brook and the Cwmblaenerw Brook, both of which flow into the River Edw which in turn reaches the Wye below Aberedw, just south of the study area.
The hills of the study area form an island of unimproved ground surrounded by rich farmland, where only a few small villages are found, such as Hundred House, Cregrina and Aberedw. Historically, they formed the commons of the parishes of Llanfaredd, Aberedw and Cregrina. Unlike the species rich commons of Llandeilo Hill to the south and Gwaunceste to the east, none of the Aberedw Hill area is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
1.3.1 Extent of area covered in km2
The extent of the Aberedw Hill study area is 11.09km2. Most parts of the study area were accessible for field survey as there were no forests, bogs or bodies of water of significance within the area. Most of the area was open access under the CRoW Act (2000).
Plate 1: The western edge of the study area, looking southwards, with the Wye valley to the right.
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Uplands Initiative – Aberedw Hill 2008
1.3.2 Previous Fieldwork
Some archaeological fieldwork had been carried out in the survey area prior to this project which had informed the database records of the NMR and HER. The earliest identified fieldwork was undertaken by the RCAHM prior to 1913, when a series of site visits were made during the preparation of the Inventory of Ancient Monuments for Radnorshire (RCAHM, 1913).
The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust (CPAT) undertook two phases of fieldwork in Radnorshire as a part of the Cadw grant-aided Deserted Rural Settlements project. These occurred in 1996-97 and 1998-99 and included some site visits and desktop research relevant to the Aberedw Hill Study area.
In 2002-3, CPAT also carried out a survey of the Bronze Age monuments of the part of the study area as part of the Cadw grant-aided Prehistoric Funerary and Ritual Monuments Project (CPAT, 2003). This project also visited and assessed sites within the study area.
1.3.3 Methodology
Desktop Research Digital data from the databases maintained by the NMR (RCAHMW) and the Powys Historic Environment Record (held by CPAT) were the starting point for the desktop research undertaken prior to the fieldwork. The HER included unpublished information from field projects undertaken by CPAT within the study area. The information on 1st, 2nd and 1953 edition Ordnance Survey maps was interpreted and records created for sites of interest within the scope of the project. The relevant parish tithe maps held by the National Library of Wales were also consulted. Documentary records in the NMR and aerial photographs were also studied.
The results from the desktop research were entered into a Microsoft Access 2003 database, constructed according to the guidelines given in the Revised Data Standard for Upland Survey. The material included in this database is reproduced in the site gazetteer of this report.
Fieldwork Physical access to the area was possible from public roads to the west, east and south of the study area, including access through Blaenmilo Uchaf farm.
The fieldwork element of the project achieved an average coverage rate of 1.5km2 per day. 30m and 50m transects were used according to the nature of the terrain (wider transects favoured on steeper slopes). There were no areas where transect walking could not be employed, but the value of field-walking was impaired in extensive areas due to the presence of thick bracken growth on lower slopes. This problem was so severe during the summer months that fieldwork was suspended until the winter, and it was not until January 2008 that the bracken cover had decayed sufficiently to complete the field survey. Even during the winter months, however, these areas are still covered in a thick mat of decaying bracken, which makes fieldwork difficult.
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Uplands Initiative – Aberedw Hill 2008
The cutting and baling of bracken in some areas during autumn was of considerable assistance.
There was no access problem to the study area (see Figure 2). Open access was permitted to most of the area, apart from a small parcel of private near Fforest Wood, at the northern edge of the survey area.
Features were recorded on pro-forma sheets derived from the database. This had a two-fold benefit: ensuring previously recorded information was readily available in the field and that standard recording of features was undertaken. The pro-formas had space for field sketches which were made where appropriate. The pro-forma sheets have been deposited with the RCAHMW as part of the project archive. Digital photographs were taken where appropriate and these have also been included in the project archive as TIFF files.
Figure 2: The Aberedw Hill study area.
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Plate 2: A typical upland sheep farm on the fringes of Aberedw Hill. Blaenmilo Uchaf sits in the sheltered Milo valley. It enjoys rights of common on the land around the upper part of the valley and is one of the local farms which still practices the mowing and baling of bracken on the common during the autumn.
Plate 3: The northern edge of the study area, looking west from above Fforest Wood. The valley to the right leads to the Wye valley and Builth Wells. The high ground in the centre of the photograph is the Blackrock Pools area on Aberedw Hill.
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Uplands Initiative – Aberedw Hill 2008
2. Analysis of Sites recorded in the Survey Area
2.1 Number of sites
Prior to this survey, 20 archaeological sites were recorded within the survey area in the RCAHMW’s National Monuments Record database. Following the field survey there were a total of 257 sites recorded within the study area, representing an increase of 1285%.
There were also 85 sites recorded in the Clwyd-Powys Historic Environment Record (HER).1 Most of these sites were located and re-evaluated in the field and new NMR records created in most cases. However, some of the sites in the HER could not be located, or the records were found to be erroneous. Therefore there will not be a direct correlation between the NMR records and those found in the regional HER.
Location maps for all sites recorded by the project can be found in the second part of this report, preceding the Site Gazetteer.
2.2 Summary of sites by Broad Class
The 257 sites recorded by the project are shown categorised by their Broad Class2 in Table 1 and Fig 3.
Broad Class Number Includes of Sites Agriculture and Subsistence 20 Cultivation Marks, Farmstead, Field, Field System, Pillow Mound, Rabbit Warren, Ridge and Furrow, Sheep Fold Civil 2 Triangulation Point Commemorative 1 Commemorative Stone Domestic 24 Deserted Rural Settlement, House, Long Hut, Longhouse Industrial 83 Quarry Monument
1 Maintained by the Clwyd/Powys Archaeological Trust. 2 Broad Class is used as defined by English Heritage in the monuments thesaurus, http://thesaurus.english-heritage.org.uk 8
Uplands Initiative – Aberedw Hill 2008
The breakdown of sites by Broad Class shows the predominance of features associated with the settlement, and agriculture within the study area. Platforms and associated features such as banks and enclosures are hidden within the Monument
Of the 257 sites recorded, only 8 (3.1%) are prehistoric funerary and ritual monuments, in the form of usually well preserved round barrows, although a further 6 sites (2.3%) are thought to be possible round barrows.
A large proportion of the sites recorded, 83 or 32%, fall into the Industrial category. These are mostly related to the small quarries at the edge of the common, dug to provide stone to construct walls at the common boundary.
Figure 3: Distribution of sites by Broad Class 9
Uplands Initiative – Aberedw Hill 2008
2.3 Summary of sites by Period
Figure 4 and Table 2 show that most of the 257 sites recorded in the study area can be ascribed to the medieval or post-medieval periods. This accounts for 217 sites (84%) of the sites recorded. Many of these sites are earthworks associated with settlement and agricultural activity, which makes it impossible to ascribe them to a specific period on the basis of field or desktop evidence. The suspicion has to be that they relate to an increase in settlement and associated agricultural activity during the post- medieval period, but the possibility of medieval origins of some sites cannot be discounted.
The large number of quarries found at the common edge are thought to be of likely late 18th or early 19th century date and simply relate to the process of trying to clearly demarcate the common edge. A small number of modern features, such as ponds quarries and cultivation marks, were also noted.
There are 15 Bronze Age funerary and ritual sites recorded, 9 of which are thought to be certain round barrows. Another 6 were thought to be possible Bronze Age funerary monuments but they could not be identified with certainty on the basis of surface evidence. Appendix B expands Table 2, giving the NPRN and name of the sites in each period.
Period Number of Includes Sites Prehistoric 2 Findspot Bronze Age 9 Round Barrow, Round Barrow Cemetery Bronze Age? 6 Round Barrow?, Round Barrow Cemetery? Medieval?;Post 95 Bank (Earthwork), Boundary Bank, Building Medieval? Platform, Enclosure, Deserted Rural Settlement, Kiln?, Longhouse, Long Hut, Pillow Mound, Platform, Rabbit Warren, Ridge And Furrow? Post Medieval 76 Bank (Earthwork), Cultivation Marks, Enclosure, Farmstead Field, Field System, House, Mound, Pond, Quarry, Road, Sheep Fold, Trackway, Wall Post Medieval? 34 Bank (Earthwork),Enclosure, Leat, Quarry, Ridge and Furrow, Trackway Post Medieval?; 12 Mound, Pond, Quarry, Ridge and Furrow Modern? Modern 11 Commemorative Stone, Pond, Quarry, Sheep Fold, Triangulation Point, Water Tank Modern? 1 Quarry General 1 Pond Unknown 10 Earthwork, Mound, Trackway, Stone
Table 2: Sites by Period
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Uplands Initiative – Aberedw Hill 2008
Figure 4 – Distribution of sites by Period
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Uplands Initiative – Aberedw Hill 2008
2.4 Summary of sites found by type
Table 3 shows the range and numbers of site types recorded by the project. A fuller breakdown of this information is found in Appendix A and detailed site descriptions are included in the Site Gazetteer in Part 2 of this report.
BANK (EARTHWORK) 23 POND 6 BOUNDARY BANK 1 QUARRY 71 BUILDING PLATFORM 1 QUARRY? 12 COMMEMORATIVE 1 RABBIT WARREN 1 STONE RIDGE AND FURROW 2 CULTIVATION MARKS 1 RIDGE AND FURROW? 1 DESERTED RURAL 9 ROAD 1 SETTLEMENT ROUND BARROW 7 EARTHWORK 1 ROUND BARROW 2 ENCLOSURE 19 CEMETERY FARMSTEAD 1 ROUND BARROW 1 FIELD 2 CEMETERY? FIELD SYSTEM 1 ROUND BARROW? 5 FINDSPOT 2 SHEEP FOLD 3 HOUSE 1 SHELTER 1 KILN? 1 STONE 3 LEAT 1 TRACKWAY 10 LONG HUT 8 LONG HUT? 5 TRIANGULATION 2 LONGHOUSE 1 POINT MOUND 8 WALL 1 PILLOW MOUND 8 WATER TANK 1 PLATFORM 30 PLATFORM? 2 Table 3: Sites by Type
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Uplands Initiative – Aberedw Hill 2008
2.5 Summary of sites by Altitude
Table 4 shows the number of sites per 50m contour band, the amount of land in each 50m band and the density of sites per square kilometre. Figure 5 shows the distribution of sites within 50m contour bands.
Of the 8 contour bands, the 3 of lowest altitude are technically outside the area usually defined as uplands for the purposes of the Uplands Initiative (i.e. below 244m). They also account for less than 0.25km2 in area and cannot be relied upon to present statistically meaningful information. The highest contour band is also statistically meaningless as the area above 450m is tiny, literally only a few square metres at the top of Aberedw Hill, but includes a round barrow and a triangulation pillar.
Two of the remaining 5 contour bands are evidently of greater significance. 77.3% of the study area falls between the 350m and 449 contours (8.55km2). In terms of the number of sites recorded, the most important of these contour bands is the 350m – 399m band, where 132 or nearly 50% of sites are recorded. The densest concentration of sites is found between 300m and 349m, where 66 sites are found in an area of 1.7km2 – 38.4 sites per square kilometre.
Undoubtedly, the importance of these two contour bands reflects the concentration of quarries, settlement sites and associated features just above the common edge. It is noticeable that the greatest concentrations of sites per square kilometre occur at median altitudes.
Appendix C provides details of site by NPRN, Name and contour band.
Contour band Number of Sq km Sites per sq sites km 100m to 149m 0 0.029 0 150m to 199m 10 0.118 * 200m to 249m 6 0.210 28.6 250m to 299m 7 0.427 16.4 300m to 349m 66 1.719 38.4 350m to 399m 132 4.874 27.1 400m to 449m 34 3.681 9.2 450m to 499m 2 0.001 * Total 257 11.059 * these figures are statistically unreliable as they account for a small number of sites within contour bands of small area.
Table 4: Sites by contour band
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Uplands Initiative – Aberedw Hill 2008
Figure 5: Distribution of sites by Altitude
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2.6 Significant new sites
Earlier fieldwork had recorded many well preserved round barrows and medieval or later settlement sites across the Aberedw Hill study area and their details had been recorded within the NMR or regional HER. Many of the best preserved sites were already identified as sites of national importance and designated as Scheduled Ancient Monuments.
Even so, there was still scope for new discoveries of significance, particularly in those areas visited during the winter months when the bracken cover was somewhat reduced. The reinterpretation or redefinition of some previously recorded sites was also possible, some of which may be more significant or extensive than previously thought. This is certainly true with regard to prehistoric funerary monuments and deserted settlement sites.
Other important discoveries include an increased awareness of the extent of cultivation on the hills in the Aberedw Hill study area and the recognition that much of the quarrying that has occurred can be directly attributed to attempts to build boundary walls to clearly demarcate the boundaries of the common.
2.6.1 Funerary monuments
Two groups of Round Barrows on Aberedw Hill have been classified as Round Barrow Cemeteries for the first time in the NMR. The first group (NPRN 272521) consists of three well-preserved barrows (NPRNs 305827, 305828 & 305829) sit on the highest part of Aberedw Hill. The second group (NPRN 272530) also consists of three barrows (NPRNs 305750, 305751 & 305752).
Plate 4: Two of the three barrows forming the Round Barrow cemetery NPRN 272521 on Aberedw Hill.
Round barrows NPRN 305827, in foreground, and NPRN 305828 in the distance (with triangulation pillar).
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Uplands Initiative – Aberedw Hill 2008
Several mounds recorded during fieldwork are thought to be probable or possible round barrows. Four mounds known traditionally as the Giant’s Graves stand on a saddle to the west of Aberedw Hill. Despite their name, they have been previously been described as probable pillow mounds in the regional HER. Re-evaluation in 2007 suggests that three of these mounds have the characteristics of round barrows (NPRNs 272351, 272352 & 272353). A larger, oval mound close by (NPRN 272354) is more difficult to explain. Measuring 39m x 15m, and standing well over 1m in height, it does not appear to be either a round barrow or a pillow mound and has simply been recorded as a mound. Whether it might represent a long barrow or similar form of funerary monument is unclear. Each of the Giants’ Graves mounds were covered in thick bracken when visited.
It was not certain if the possible round barrow recorded for the first time at Pen Waun (NPRN 272472) is in fact a natural feature, although from most perspectives it did appear to be an artificial mound on top of a small hillock.
Plate 5: One of the Giants' Graves mounds (NPRN 272353), thought to be probable round barrows.
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2.6.2 Medieval and Post-Medieval settlement and cultivation As with funerary and ritual monuments, a large number of fine settlement sites of presumed medieval or later date had been recorded by earlier workers, mainly through the Cadw grant-aided Deserted Rural Settlement project undertaken by CPAT (Silvester, 1999). Again, the 2007 Uplands Initiative proved to be an opportunity to revisit and, in some cases re-evaluate, these sites.
One of the most significant developments has been the opportunity to allocate record numbers to many of the settlement complexes as Deserted Rural Settlements, uniting related platforms, longhuts, enclosures or cultivation areas under a single record number. It has also been possible to record some previously unnoticed features and reinterpret others where favourable bracken conditions made it possible.
The most significant new discoveries have been made when re-examining previously recorded sites. Four sites in particular can be highlighted here.
The Deserted Settlement complex at Pen Waun Pool (NPRN 272424) had previously been recorded in the regional HER. Examination under favourable light and ground vegetation conditions during the winter of 2007 made it possible for a far more detailed record of features to be made here. A square enclosure, NPRN 402441 was found to contain a long hut NPRN 272423 within its banks. The previously identified platform NPRN 272422 was found to have a very denuded long hut or shelter close by (NPRN 272421). Running south from the eastern end of Pen Waun Pool was a bank, NPRN 272425, also recorded for the first time.
Figure 6: Pen Waun Pool Deserted Rural Settlement (NPRN 272424).
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Further features were also recorded at Deserted Rural Settlement NPRN 272532. Here a long hut and enclosure had previously been identified, but reassessment in the early part of 2008 discovered that a second long hut existed as well as further evidence of earthwork banks. A possible corn-drying kiln (NPRN 272469) was also noted close by, although its relationship with NPRN 272532 is not certain. The identification of the possible kiln was itself a significant discovery as there is cultivation nearby. No other kiln has been noted in the study area.
Figure 7: Deserted Rural Settlements on Aberedw Hill. These are colour coded, but it is impossible to assess on current information if these are separate sites, or represent a single settlement complex, or whether they are contemporary features or not.
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At a third DRS site, NPRN 272535, a series of 5 platforms, all Scheduled Ancient Monuments was examined. It was discovered that at least one of these sites (NPRN 272342) had been mislocated and wrongly represented on Ordnance Survey maps. It is now possible to rectify this error. With the assistance of AP mapping, a sixth platform (NPRN 272343) was also identified in the group, on the eastern side of the valley. A seventh possible platform was also recorded on the western valley slope (NPRN 272512). The NMR now has a fuller, more accurate picture of this important cluster of settlement sites.
One of the most important groups of non-settlement features of medieval or post- medieval date was the Pen Blaen Milo rabbit warren (NPRN 272488). The group consists of 8 large pillow mounds, arranged on either side of the upper Milo Brook valley. Previous HER records and AP mapping observations had not succeeded in accurately identifying the number or position of these well-preserved and interesting features. This was only achieved during field work, aided by the fact that the thick bracken in the area had been mowed during the autumn of 2007.
Plate 6: One of the Pen Blaen Milo rabbit warren (NPRN 272488).
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3. Value of AP mapping to the field project
The RCAHMW supplied interpretation of aerial photographs as digital files, referred to as AP mapping in this document. Each of these records was investigated in the field, see Figure 8.
106 separate records were supplied with the AP mapping. 32 of these sites were found to be identifiable archaeological features on the ground and given NPRNs.
The identification of linear features by AP mapping in the Radnorshire hills seems to meet with mixed success as the thin, friable soils readily erode to produce trackways with only light use by vehicles or stock animals. As many as 68 of the features identified through AP mapping on Aberedw Hill proved to be trackways, most of which were simply caused by the braiding of existing trackways, much of which seems to have occurred in modern times. Other linear features proved to be modern trackways or sheep tracks. Only 6 of the linear features recorded proved to be trackways that warranted the award of an NPRN.
Plate 7: Erosion caused by modern vehicles and sheep on the western side of Aberedw Hill. The braiding of trackways occurs in many part of the study area due to the easy erosion of the land surface, and this can cause difficulties for the interpretation of linear features on aerial photographs.
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Plate 8: Bracken cutting by tractor underway at the head of the Cwmblaenerw valley.
Another modern activity that creates problems for AP mapping in the area is the tradition of bracken cutting. This is now carried out with tractors and modern mowing and baling machinery. It is evident that this is creating areas which, from the air, appear to have the characteristics of extensive blocks of ridge and furrow cultivation.
Some success was achieved with the identification of earthwork features associated with enclosures and settlements that were difficult to define on the ground, especially in view of the difficulties posed by vegetation. The most significant of these was the discovery of a fine platform in Cwmblaenerw (NPRN 272343). This site was wholly obscured by thick bracken at the time of the field survey and was initially noted as a possible Mound by AP mapping.
Overall, however, AP mapping was not found to be of great significance in the Aberedw Hill study area.
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Figure 8: Features plotted by the RCAHMW from aerial photographs
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4. Aberedw Hill History and Archaeology
4.1 Characteristics and comparisons
Although the Aberedw Hill study area is now an uninhabited upland common, with its land entirely used for sheep grazing, the archaeology of the area shows clearly that previous generations have both settled and farmed the land here. Evidence is also found of much earlier activity in the form of Bronze Age funerary and ritual monuments. These characteristics are typical of the archaeology of adjacent uplands blocks, and of most of the Radnorshire uplands.
As has been noted by Trysor in previous surveys in the district (Trysor 2007 & 2008), settlement and agriculture have now retreated to the sides and floors of the valleys that surround the uplands in this area. The process of upland settlement abandonment seems to have been virtually complete by the time that the first detailed maps were surveyed of the area, in the early 19th century. As with adjacent areas, historical sources can tell us little about when the deserted settlement sites on the Aberedw Hill commons were occupied, or when the hills here were ploughed, or who was responsible for these activities. Archaeology is similarly silent at present as there have been no known excavations of such sites within the area or wider district.
Aberedw Hill shares many of the physical characteristics of adjacent upland areas, most obviously with regard to modern land use. The upland pastures are almost exclusively used for rearing sheep, although the tradition of mowing and baling bracken for animal bedding is an important activity also. Bracken has invaded most of the lower hill and valley slopes, below the 400m contour, forming a dense mat of vegetation throughout the year. This leaves only the highest portions of the study area bracken free throughout the year (probably less than 40% of the total area). There is very little heather pasture within the study area, indeed the general character of the area is of an almost semi-improved pasture in many areas. There are grounds to suspect that in the past century mechanical ploughing or harrowing has been undertaken to improve the drainage and quality of the hill pasture. There are certainly areas on the hills where cultivation marks occur which seem to be associated with modern mechanical ploughing, rather than traditional ridge and furrow type cultivation.
The archaeology of this upland block gives important insights into the varied activities of human communities interacting with the landscape during the past 3000 years. The range of archaeological site types present compares closely to that found in adjacent areas, including evidence of;
• Bronze Age funerary monuments • medieval and/or post-medieval settlement, with possible medieval origins • medieval and/or post-medieval land management and cultivation • post-medieval and modern industrial activity relating to small scale quarrying
A number of modern archaeological fieldwork and desktop research projects have been carried out which can help inform our understanding of the archaeology of the study area These include the Cadw grant-aided Deserted Rural Settlement Project and Prehistoric Funerary and Ritual Monuments Project undertaken by CPAT during the 1990s and early 2000s (CPAT 2001 & 2003, Silvester 1997 & 1999).
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Plate 9: Seen east of Blaen Milo Uchaf, these broad, flat ridges, of irregular width and divided by narrow, shallow furrows are probably evidence of modern mechanised farming. They can be mistaken for ridge and furrow cultivation from the air.
Plate 10: The top of Aberedw Hill viewed from the north. Here bracken can be seen invading even some sheltered slopes between the 400m and 450m contour.
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4.2 Prehistory
4.2.1 Evidence in adjacent areas
Evidence of Bronze Age activity in the Radnorshire hills is typically characterised by round barrows, which can be found both in summit locations and also in saddles or passes. This was certainly found to be the case in the adjacent Gwaunceste study area (Trysor, 2007) and the same pattern is repeated in Aberedw.
Further east, beyond the village at Hundred House, are a number of Bronze Age funerary and ritual monuments off the mountain commons. These include the stone alignment known as the “Four Stones” (NPRN24592) and the large mound known as the Brynymaen Barrow (NPRN 306079). Close to these is the stone circle or possible denuded round barrow at Fedw (NPRN 306077) and the recumbent Brynymaen Standing Stone (NPRN306088). Also to the northeast, at Llanerch, is another stone alignment (NPRN 306081) and cup-marked stone (NPRN 306082) of Bronze Age date. To the southeast of the study area, on Glascwm Hill, a stone circle known as Six Stones comprising 15 stones in a 27m circle, is recorded (NPRN 306107).
The Penarth Mound (NPRN 306121), to the east, near Glascwm is another interesting prehistoric site. It appears that it was opened in 1864 and evidence of a Bronze Age cremation burial, with a cremation urn and some metalwork was uncovered. The size of the Penarth Mound is striking, 35m x 28m and 0.7m high.
4.2.2 Bronze Age funerary and ritual monuments (see Figure 9)
Evidence of prehistoric activity recorded within the study area prior to the 2007-2008 project included the following 7 Bronze Age funerary cairns (see Table 5).
NPRN Name Site Type SAM No. 305827 Aberedw Hill, Barrow V Round Barrow Rd074 305828 Aberedw Hill, Barrow VI Round Barrow Rd074 305830 Pen Waun Pool, Barrow Round Barrow ------305750 Aberedw Hill, Barrow I Round Barrow Rd074 305751 Aberedw Hill, Barrow II Round Barrow Rd074 305752 Aberedw Hill, Barrow III Round Barrow Rd074 305829 Aberedw Hill, Cairn IV Round Barrow Rd074 306115 Cwm Blaen Erw, Barrow Round Barrow ------
Table 5: Bronze Age funerary monuments known prior to 2007
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A further 5 sites (see Table 6) are mounds thought to be possible Bronze Age funerary monuments.
This list includes the 4 mounds known as Giants’ Graves which have previously been thought to be pillow mounds. The form of three of these mounds is suggestive of them being round barrows (NPRNs 272351, 272352 & 272353). The fourth mound is more problematic, as it measures 39m x 15m and is over 1m high. However the dimensions of the Penarth Mound, Glascwm, demonstrates that large, sub-circular mounds in the area can be found to be funerary monuments when excavated, and this possibility should not be discounted with regard to NPRN 272354.
NPRN Name Type 272351 Giants Graves, Mound III Round Barrow? 272352 Giants Graves, Mound II Round Barrow? 272353 Giants Graves, Mound I Round Barrow? 272354 Giants Graves, Mound IV Mound 272472 Pen Waun Pool, Mound Round Barrow?
Table 6: Possible Bronze Age funerary monuments
Plate 11: Round barrow NPRN 305750, with the modern commemorative stone NPRN 272513 standing on it.
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Figure 9: Prehistoric funerary and ritual sites
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4.2.3 Significance of the prehistoric archaeology
Although there are relatively few prehistoric sites recorded within the study area their importance cannot be underestimated. The prehistoric funerary monuments within the study area are all of the round barrow type. There is little surface stone across most of the study area and therefore stone cairns do not appear to have been constructed.
Most of the round barrows in Aberedw Hill survive in very good condition and are prominent landscape features. The three barrows which make up Aberedw Hill Round Barrow Cemetery I (NPRN 272521) can be truly said to occupy a hill summit (at 450m, the highest point in the study area). Aberedw Hill Round Barrow Cemetery II (NPRN 272530) occupies a lower, local summit to the south of the top of Aberedw Hill. Most of the other barrows or possible barrows are found in saddles (for example, the Pen Waun Pool Barrow NPRN 305830) or on the flat ridge tops that are found between the valleys cut into the southern side of the study area (as with the Giants’ Graves mounds (NPRNs 272351-54). This pattern concurs with the siting of barrows noted by Trysor in the neighbouring Gwaunceste study area (Trysor, 2007).
These monuments are certainly representative of a Bronze Age society for which little evidence, other than funerary and ritual monuments, has currently been identified in the district. In this respect the monuments of the study area are of significance to our developing understanding of early societies in the district, and the way that the landscape may have been divided into areas of settlement, or agricultural or funerary and ritual use.
The identification of 5 possible new funerary monuments to the NMR for this area represents an important addition to the record and confirms that the archaeological record for Aberedw Hill is comparable to that of adjacent areas with regard to the presence of Bronze Age funerary monuments.
Attention must be drawn to damage caused to one scheduled round barrow in the Aberedw Hill Round Barrow Cemetery I. Round barrow NPRN 305750 has had a large stone monolith inserted into the top of the mound. This “Millennium Stone” bears a plaque indicating that it was set up by the local community to commemorate to Millennium. Unfortunately, heavy machinery seems to have been driven onto and around the barrow mound when the stone was set in position, causing some damage. The insertion of the stone has also allowed erosion to start affecting the top of the barrow, probably as sheep are now drawn to shelter behind the stone. Remedial action is required before this otherwise undisturbed funerary monument suffers serious erosion. A similar threat also exists to round barrow NPRN 305828 on Aberedw Hill, which has a triangulation pillar erected on it.
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4.3 Medieval or Later Deserted Rural Settlements
It has been demonstrated by previous workers that the uplands of Radnorshire are landscapes where well preserved evidence for deserted settlement sites of medieval and post-medieval date is found in abundance (CPAT 2001 & 2003, Silvester 1997 & 1999).
The Aberedw Hill area had itself been subject to previous work and a significant number of deserted settlement sites had been recorded in the NMR and regional HER prior to the 2007-2008 Uplands Initiative project. The NMR previously had records for 2 building platforms, a longhouse and a settlement complex. The regional HER had many more records; 3 house platforms, 4 platform huts, 23 platforms, 7 long huts, a platform settlement and a settlement. Despite this, there was still scope for the discovery of new settlement sites and the reassessment of some of the earlier records.
This project has succeeded in recording a total of 49 settlement-related features, including platforms, long huts and a longhouse, most of which have been entered into the NMR for the first time. Many of these individual features are incorporated into the 9 Deserted Rural Settlement records that have also been created to record complex settlement sites.
Site Type Quantity Building platform 1 Deserted Rural Settlement 9 Farmstead 1 House 1 Long Hut 8 Long Hut? 5 Longhouse 1 Platform 30 Platform? 2
Table 7: Settlement related sites recorded in 2007-2008.
These records demonstrate that the density of the concentration of deserted settlement sites on the Aberedw Hill commons compares with that of other upland areas in Radnorshire.
Table 7 shows that the most common settlement-related site type recorded in the study area is the platform. Although this term includes platforms of varying sizes and forms, most of those recorded in the area can be described as classic building platforms, with a cross-contour platform, terraced into the slope to provide a relatively level area for a house or other building. These platforms tend to be bare, with no evidence of any structure on them. It is usually thought that this reflects the fact that the platforms date to the medieval or early post-medieval periods, when timber- framed, rather than stone buildings were commonly used.
With the exception of a single farmstead, at Pen Blaen Milo (NPRN 272489), which is known from cartographic sources to have been occupied during the 19th and 20th centuries, there is a lack of historical material relating to the settlement sites of the area. This presents a major barrier to our understanding of their true purpose and 29
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date, which is of course exacerbated by an absence of archaeological excavation evidence from the area. This means that all observations are based only on an examination of field evidence. It cannot be said with certainty that any of the platforms or long huts recorded are in fact settlement sites. Field barns and animal houses could leave similar remains.
The dating of the settlement sites is also problematic. They are invariably recorded as being probable medieval or post-medieval date. This decision is based on the reality that the post-medieval period extended over five centuries and there would appear to be a high degree of probability that all or most of the settlements recorded in the study area were in use during that period. Allocating a post-medieval date to a site does not preclude that site having medieval origins, however. It is with these limitations to our understanding in mind that we must discuss the settlement evidence from the study area.
Plate 12: Enclosure NPRN 272468, on Aberedw Hill.
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4.3.1. Farmsteads & Cottages
The study area consists of historic common land, the boundaries of which had been largely fixed by the time of the tithe survey of the parishes of Llanfaredd, Aberedw and Cregrina, which shared access to the mountain pastures, undertaken during the late 1830s and early 1840s.
At the time of the tithe surveys of the 1830s, and a generation earlier, when the first Ordnance Survey maps were drawn of the area, there were very few inhabited dwellings within, or on the common boundary of the study area. Pen Blaen Meilwn (NPRN 272489), which was owned by the "Bouchrood Charities Trustees" and occupied by William Meredith in 1842, was one of these. The charity is almost certainly the Boughrood Charity founded in 1687 by the Vicar of Boughrood, in southern Radnorshire, for the apprenticing of poor children. Another small cottage, to the west, at Cribau (SO 0751050110), stood within a few small field parcels right at the common edge in Llanfaredd parish (now outside the common and the study area). On the edge of Cregrina Common, the tithe map shows the farm of Blaenywern (SO 1130051868) straddling the common boundary. This settlement has now vanished and been replaced by a modern farm shed.
Plate 13: Possible corn-drying kiln (NPRN 272469) on Aberedw Hill. IN the background, the eastern e