Gwynedd Archaeological
Trust Regional Historic Environment Record
Hut Circle Settlement, Bodafon Mountain
Primary Reference Number (PRN) : 1552 Trust : Gwynedd Community : Moelfre Unitary authority : Ynys Mon NGR : SH471850 Site Type (preferred type first) : ROMAN HUT CIRCLE SETTLEMENT Status : Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty , Common Land
Description : A quadrangular enclosure bounded by a low stony bank in which at places wall faces can be seen indicating a wall originally c.3ft thick. The enclosure measures approx 85ft from north to south and 75ft from E to W. A gap 13ft wide represents the entrance into the courtyard. Gap is flanked by chambers which may have been used as guard houses. That on the north proved to be more or less square, 11ft each way with rounded corners. Chamber on the south entrance was rectangular and 14ft wide. Against the wall of the courtyard is the main dwelling a round house 25ft in diameter, with the entrance facing east. Adjoining it on the SE is a rectangular annexe 22ft by 6ft with an entrance on the NE. Red glazed ware pottery from the rubbish dump outside the entrance to the round house almost certainly Roman. <1> <2>
Scheduled area extended to cover PRN 5524. <4>
This rectangular/polygonal stone walled enclosure was partly excavated by Griffiths (1955) in the 1950s. The enclosure has a main entranceway to the east, flanked by rectangular buildings or gatehouses (Figure 6.11). A stone roundhouse, c. 8m in diameter, adjoins the western enclosure wall and has an entrance aligned to the enclosure entrance. The roundhouse wall was constructed with upright orthostats, with a rubble and earth core, and a black occupation layer was preserved within the interior. This produced charcoal and fire-cracked stones, as well as a small collection of slingstones (Griffiths 1955, 20). The roundhouse had an adjoining rectangular annexe with an entrance facing northeast. This appeared to be a later addition as the walls were constructed in a different way and with smaller stones. While no occupation layer was identified, a hammerstone was recovered from inside this structure. An ephemeral dark earth midden, which formed a low mound, was located to the northeast of the main roundhouse entrance (Griffiths 1955, 21). This accumulation contained frequent burnt stones, charcoal, and sherds of Samian ware dating to the second and third centuries AD. (Waddington, 2013)
Sources :
W. E. Griffiths, M. A., F.S.A. , 1955 , Excavations on Bodafon Mountain, 1954 , Transactions of the Anglesey Antiquarian Society and Field Club : 1955 : 12-26
Waddington, K. , 2010 , Early Celtic Societies in North Wales
Waddington, K. , 2013 , The Settlements of Northwest Wales: From the Late Bronze Age to the Early Medieval Period
Griffiths, W. E. , 1955 , Transactions of the Anglesey Antiquarian Society , <1>
Ordnance Survey , 1970 , SH48SE 2 , <2>
Smith, G. , 1998 , Hut Circle Settlement Survey , <7>
Events : 42046 : Excavations on Bodafon Mountain (year : 1955) 40782 : Hut Circle Settlement Survey (year : 1998) 44557 : Early Celtic Societies in North Wales (year : 2010)