The Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust
Historic Environment Record
 

The following information has been provided under the terms and conditions of access as detailed on GGAT’s website www.ggat.org.uk.  Copyright is reserved on all data supplied by the GGAT HER Charitable Trust. All output resulting from the use of the data must acknowledge the source as follows:-
Derived from information held by the GGAT HER Charitable Trust copyright.

The data below is intended to be used for information and research only and is not for use as part of a commercial project.  If you wish to use information derived from material held by the GGAT HER Charitable Trust for publication in printed or multimedia form or to compile resources for commercial use, prior permission must be obtained in writing. For further information or to arrange a visit to the Trust please send an enquiry form http://www.ggat.org.uk/her/english/enquiry_form.html to her@ggat.org.uk.

Blackcliffe Wood Camp, Tintern

Primary Reference Number (PRN) : 00748g
Trust : Glamorgan Gwent
Community : Tintern
Unitary authority : Monmouthshire
NGR : ST52909899
Site Type (preferred type first) : Iron Age Hillfort
Status : Scheduled Monument

Summary :
A small sub-triangular promontory camp on a hill spur; univallate on South, scarped on West and East. The earthwork is in poor condition and is covered with trees and dense undergrowth.

Description :
A small sub-triangular promontory camp on a hill spur; univallate on South, scarped on West and East. The earthwork is in poor condition and is covered with trees and dense undergrowth.

The site of Blackcliff Wood camp, also known as Porthcaseg Camp, presently occupies a wooded clifftop promontory overlooking the River Wye to the east, and the valley of Porthcaseg to the west. The site measures 90m by 50m, in a triangular shape defined by the breaks in slope to the east and west, and a drystone bank and ditch on the southern side. The popular Wye Valley Walk proceeds through the camp from a forced entrance at the south-eastern edge adjacent to the cliff, to the northern tip where it scrambles downwards towards Tintern. The site is wooded largely by immature trees, some yews and pine, but mostly various deciduous species. Many of the trees are dying or collapsed apparently due to the insufficient soil-cover. The original entrance seems to be a simple turn in the defences in the south-western side of the site. The defences are restricted to the southern and south-western edge of the site, with the rest of the promontory afforded protection by the natural slope. The defences are nowhere higher than 1.5m, although the ditch is relatively well preserved. The defences peter out along the western edge but may also be detected as a slight earthwork north of the entrance. Internally there are no features, other than a roughly circular area of dark earth contrasting the redder natural soils. This area of dark earth contains large inclusions of charcoal (taken from Eden 2000 'Results of a Soil Survey of an Enclosure in Blackcliff Wood, Tintern, Monmouthshire' Unpublished, Bristol University). (Wiggins 2006)

Sources :
Blockley, M and Dingwall, L , 2000 , An assessment of the archaeological and industrial heritage of the Wye Valley AONB
Savory H.N. , 1950 , List of Hill-Forts and Other Earthworks in Wales: II Monmouthshire , The Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies : XIII pt.IV : 231-238
Wiggins, H , 2006 , Prehistoric defended enclosures in Gwent ( © GGAT)

Events :
E001550 : Prehistoric defended enclosures Gwent (year : 2006)
E004589 : Blackcliff Wood, Tintern Soil Sampling (year : 1998)
E004590 : Blackcliff Wood, Tintern Geophys SUR (year : 1998)
E004581 : Forest Enterprise Welsh Heritage Assets Project:Rhondda/St Gwynno (year : 1999)
E002646 : Assessment of the Wye Valley DBA (year : 2000)
E008773 : GGAT52: Monmouthshire Historic Settlements, Caldicot & Raglan (year : 1999)

Related records
National Monuments Record NPRN 94864 http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/94864/details

Compiled date : 02-03-1988


March 28, 2025, 12:47 pm - HTML file produced from GGAT HER Charitable Trust Ltd. Heathfield House, Heathfield, Swansea SA1 Tel. 01792 655208; Fax 01792 474469 website: www.ggat.org.uk  email: her@ggat.org.uk Registered Charity no. 505609
Data supplied by in partnership with Local Authorities, Cadw and the partners of ENDEX © GGAT HER Charitable Trust, 2025 (and in part © Crown, 2025).