Hillforts of North West Wales

The age of the Iron Age Hillforts in Wales started sometime around 700BC until around 60AD when the Roman Empire had successfully subdued the local Celtic tribes and chieftains.

Although hillforts are known during the Bronze Age, the golden Age of hilltop fortification took place during the Iron Age. However, some hillforts were still in use during the Roman period. These are known as Romano-British defensive enclosed settlements and it is apparent that most communities quickly settled down under Roman rule.

Most hillforts were constructed for defensive purposes. However, there is no clear evidence as to why they were constructed as most were without any source of water and unlikely to have been used as permanent settlements or as long-standing locations for tribal warfare. Although hillforts were designed to withstand a small-scale attack, it is quite probable that they were constructed as a deterrent.

It is believed that hillforts were constructed by the Celtic migrants as they settled on territories controlled by the native Britons, or by the natives to deter the migrating Celts. However, some hillforts were constructed earlier during the late Bronze Age. It has also been suggested that hillforts were a place of tribal gathering, a meeting point for local tribes and a chance for them to show off their power, i.e. the larger the defence the more the power and less likely to be attacked.

There are many different kind of hillforts scattered throughout Gwynedd, the most spectacular being Tre’r Ceiri hillfort on Lleyn Peninsula that includes 150 hut circles and the impressive Dinas Dinorwic defensive hillfort, former stronghold of the Ordovices.

I have included an O/S number on all historical sites to enable everyone to locate using an O/S map