Caer y Tŵr
Encyclopedia
Caer y Twr was a Roman
-era hillfort atop the summit of the Holyhead Mountain
in Anglesey
, Wales
.
The hillfort, which is situated among rocky outcrops, is ideally placed for defence and likely served as a watchtower and possibly as a signal tower. Some have speculated that it was built to alert a small fort situated in the town of Holyhead
in the case of raiders coming in from the Irish Sea
, while others have suggested that it may have been a lighthouse.
The hillfort is now mostly rubble, but its walls can still be made out, including a large stone rampart on the north and east sides which reaches 3 metres at points. The entrance to the fort was through a rocky gully. The footings of a tower were discovered when the site was excavated; its stones are believed to date from the 2nd to the 4th centuries.
Nestled below Caer y Twr is a group of several enclosed huts, named Ty Mawr, that also date from the 3rd to the 4th centuries, some of which still contain the accoutrements of life, such as hearths and shelves.
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
-era hillfort atop the summit of the Holyhead Mountain
Holyhead Mountain
Holyhead Mountain is the highest hill on Holy Island, Anglesey, and the highest in the county of Anglesey, north Wales. It lies about three kilometres west of the town of Holyhead, and slopes steeply down to the Irish Sea on two sides...
in Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
The hillfort, which is situated among rocky outcrops, is ideally placed for defence and likely served as a watchtower and possibly as a signal tower. Some have speculated that it was built to alert a small fort situated in the town of Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
in the case of raiders coming in from the Irish Sea
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...
, while others have suggested that it may have been a lighthouse.
The hillfort is now mostly rubble, but its walls can still be made out, including a large stone rampart on the north and east sides which reaches 3 metres at points. The entrance to the fort was through a rocky gully. The footings of a tower were discovered when the site was excavated; its stones are believed to date from the 2nd to the 4th centuries.
Nestled below Caer y Twr is a group of several enclosed huts, named Ty Mawr, that also date from the 3rd to the 4th centuries, some of which still contain the accoutrements of life, such as hearths and shelves.
External links
- Caer y Twr, BBC
- Caer y Twr, Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
- Roman Remains on Anglesey, BBC
- Aerial photo at gtj.org.uk