The Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust
Historic Environment Record
 

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Roman Road, Between Cardiff and Castell Collen (rr621) Via Gelligaer

Primary Reference Number (PRN) : 06602.0m
Trust : Glamorgan Gwent
Community : Gelligaer
Unitary authority : Caerphilly
NGR : ST1255193630
Site Type (preferred type first) : Roman Road

Summary :
A branch of the Roman Road that runs northwards from the Roman fort at Cardiff towards the forts at Brecon Gaer and Castell Collen, via Gelligaer. It runs directly past the forts at Gelligaer and northwards across Gelligaer Common.

Description :
Margary (1967, 336-8) assumed that the road running northwards from Cardiff to Brecon Gaer and Castell Collen through Caerphilly and Gelligaer, and then northwards out of Gelligaer and up the western side of the valley of the Taf Fechan. He was followed by RCAHMW (1976, 108-9), whose account provides greater detail, including consideration of how this road might also have provided access to the fort at Penydarren which had been ignored by Margary. Later accounts (Sherman and Evans 2004; Evans et al in Brunham and Davies 2010, 325-6) largely adopt RCAHMWs interpretation wholesale, but with some reference also made to the annotated strip maps produced by Ordnance Survey archaeologists, which are deposited in the National Monument Record. Review of the evidence provided by RCAHMW and the OS strip maps, as plotted on current and historic digital mapping combined with digitally plotted air photography (NextPerspective 2011) supplemented by some field visits have lead to a revised interpretation of the line. Whilst a single road connects Cardiff and Caerphilly and continues as far as Mynydd Eglwysilan, it is now believed that this road forks north of Mynydd Eglwysilan, with one breach leading to Penydarren and the other to Gelligaer. The section Cardiff Caerphilly Penydarren can be found under PRN 00898.0s. The branch running through Gelligaer has been renumbered 006602.0m.

The Gelligaer branch starts at ST 12551 93630, at the junction with Heol Las, just south of Pen-yr-heol-fawr, where there is a fork. The straight southern end of Heol Las can credibly be assumed to fossilise the Roman line. However, at least parts of the line between here and Gelligaer village are lost. The modern road through the village runs part the western side of the forts (as Church Street) and then northwards up Cefn Gelligaer (as Heol Adam), and is assumed to fossilise the Roman line. Over Gelligaer Common, both north and south of Pen Garnbugail and Mynydd Fochriw, the modern unclassified road south-north that continues Heol Adam also probably fossilises the line, since it is laid out in short straight alignments. However, between SO 11229 01168 and SO 08781 07331 the modern road veers eastwards of the Roman line to avoid the high ground, with the result that significant earthwork remains are visible, taking the form variously of agger, hollow way and terrace, depending on the local topography and the degree of traffic erosion. In many places, the exact Roman line cannot be determined, since repeated use by traffic of a multitude of slightly variant courses (presumably to avoid waterlogged stretches) has created a braided trackway. In other places no traces are visible at all. The best preserved section, between (SO10471 03071) and SO10152 03908, consists largely of a terrace, and has been scheduled as an ancient monument GM556. An Early-medieval inscribed stone PRN 00635m (SAM GM221) was erected close beside this section in the 6th century, highlighting the continued importance of the route after the Roman period. The edge of the northern escarpment of Mynydd Fochriw is marked by three exceptionally deep hollow ways.

There is no clear evidence for the continuation of the road northwards of SO 08781 07331.


Sources :
Burnham, B C and Davies, J L , 2010 , Roman frontiers in Wales and the Marches
Margary, I , 1967 , Roman roads of Britain
RCAHMW , 1976 , An inventory of the ancient monuments in Glamorgan Volume 1: Pre-Norman part1 The stone and bronze ages
Sherman, A and Evans, E M , 2004 , Roman roads in South East Wales: Desk-based assessment with reccomendations for fieldwork. GGAT report no.2004/073

Events :

Related records
GGAT Historic Environment Record (HER) 00898.0s

Compiled date : 08-02-2013


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