Arenig Fawr, Merioneth - Royal Commission on the Ancient and ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Figure 7: long hut above Filltir-gerig (nprn 510965). Figure 8: Long hut on west side of <strong>Arenig</strong> <strong>Fawr</strong> (nprn 511080). Most of the medieval and post-medieval settlement evidence was in the form of long huts. Long huts occupy natural ledges in the hillsides, or else artificial platforms. One such hut (nprn 510965) on a levelled platform on the steep slope of Clogwyn Maen Grugog, measures 9.5m by 5m (fig 7). The hood appears to have been retained by a curved wall, which survives only at ground level, but conforms to the enhancement of platform sites noted above. Some huts have rounded end walls, for example below Moel Llyfnant, where the hut (nprn 511115) is 8m by 4m. These are assumed to be the earliest type. One hut (nprn 511244) on Moel y Garth had only one rounded end wall. Some huts were found at high altitude, of which the highest was at 642m AOD (nprn 511079). Fireplaces were positively identified in three huts, and are therefore considered to be the latest type of simple hut. One (nprn 511080) was found on the steep ground on the west side of the <strong>Arenig</strong> <strong>Fawr</strong> ridge at 612m AOD, with a small fold and a shelter wall close by (fig 8). The pitch of the roof was clearly visible in the gable and the side walls stand to their full height of 1.6m. The gable end was also clearly visible in another small hut (nprn 511226), on Moel y Garth. Both of these huts are comparatively small, 4.5m by 3.1m (giving internal dimensions of 2.5m by 1.8m) on 11
<strong>Arenig</strong> <strong>Fawr</strong> and 5.7m by 4.4m (giving internal dimensions f 4.4m by 3.2m) on Moel y Garth. The other hut containing a fireplace is on Moel Ymenyn and is even smaller, with internal dimensions of 3m by 1m (nprn 511398). In all three cases the walls appear to have been dry-built. These huts cannot have been built before the seventeenth century, and are probably much later. Although there is documentary evidence that the practice of seasonal occupation of the mountains had ceased by the end of the eighteenth century, they may have been built and occupied by shepherds. Sheep farming The tradition of moving up on to summer pastures appears to have died out by the end of the eighteenth century. Although the practice was described in 1812 in upland Caernarfon by John Evans, other evidence suggests that his was a romanticised account (Evans 1812, 319). George Kay, in his survey of farming practices for the improving Board of Agriculture, had already written that I had been informed, that it was a common practice in the county, for families to go up to the mountains, in the summer season, to attend their flocks, and to reside in huts, in which they made cheese; but, upon minute enquiry, I found that no such custom existed. On the contrary, the wedders only are sent up, and the ewes are always kept on low grounds, with their lambs’ (Kay 1794, Caernarvonshire, 17). This accords with the practice of sheep farming in the <strong>Merioneth</strong> uplands, where ewes were brought down at the lambing season, and lambs were kept on lower ground for their first winter. The same survey makes no mention of black cattle pastured on the uplands (Kay 1794, <strong>Merioneth</strong>, 14), although it was also said that goats also browsed among the sheepwalks (Evans 1812, 891). Some of earlier huts may later have been used as sheepfolds. One example was found on Banc Calch (nprn 510919) where the original hut measured 9m by 8m and includes a possible fireplace, to which an L-shaped cell was wrapped around the structure by means of a later drystone wall, almost certainly for a fold. Also, some of the sites interpreted as sheepfolds may have really have been huts. The proximity of folds to earlier settlement is well known, and examples of it were found during the survey. For example, a large sheepfold (nprn 510721) is on steep ground below Carreg Lefain, close to which are three long huts (nprn 510722, 510723, 510724), one of which is marked as a sheepfold on Ordnance Survey maps. There are several sheepfolds alongside the upper reaches of Afon Llafar, and in one instance there are two multicell, multi-period sheepfolds (nprn 510924, 510925) close to four possible long huts (nprn 510922, 510923, 510926 and 510927). In each case it appears that the hut has been robbed of stone to build the fold. Sheepfolds, and occasionally sheep washes, are found throughout the survey area, except for the very flat or very steep ground. These folds vary in their scale and complexity, and in their date. Many folds are identified on the county Ordnance Survey maps but on inspection proved to be either huts or structures associated with mining. The folds conform to the farming practices suggested by the documentary evidence – that they were used for sorting sheep rather than milking them. Most of the simple sheepfolds are rectangular, for example at Hafod y Garreg (nprn 510777, 510759). Many are similar in size to huts and it can be difficult to distinguish 12
Page 1 and 2: The Uplands Archaeology Initiative
Page 3 and 4: Summary The Arenig
Page 5 and 6: Figure 7 long hut above Filltir-ger
Page 7 and 8: site was established by a hand-held
Page 9 and 10: 4 Figure 1: location plan
Page 11 and 12: Figure 2: map of principal place na
Page 13 and 14: 3.1 Prehistoric sites There were ve
Page 15: the area of common mountain pasture
Page 19 and 20: Figure 11: Multi-cell sheepfold abo
Page 21 and 22: 511055, 511059) had been abandoned.
Page 23 and 24: although it may have developed from
Page 25 and 26: Figure 15: Peat cutting on Mynydd N
Page 27 and 28: the Crown land in Llanycil parish o
Page 29 and 30: 3.5 Recreation Few sites can be att
Page 31 and 32: exploited from high ground and tran
Page 33 and 34: 510914 Sheepfold 510915 Sheepfold 5
Page 35: Kay, George, 1794, General View of
Page 43 and 44: BANC YR ARIAN, BANK AND DITCH II 51
Page 45 and 46: MYNYDD NODOL, PROSPECTING TRENCH VI
Page 47 and 48: MYNYDD NODOL, OPENCAST TRENCH XXVI
Page 49 and 50: PONT ABER-DERFEL, BRIDGE 510689 SH8
Page 51 and 52: BWLCH BLAEN-Y-PANT, PEAT CUTTING XI
Page 53 and 54: ARENIG FAWR EAST, SHELTER I 510827
Page 55 and 56: PISTYLL GWYN, PIT III 510891 SH8415
Page 57 and 58: FILLTIR-GERIG, FOLD III 510966 SH82
Page 59 and 60: BALA-FFESTINIOG RAILWAY, BRIDGE SE
Page 61 and 62: MOEL LLYFNANT, WALL II 511106 SH811
Page 63 and 64: LLYN ARENIG FAWR, SHEEPFOLD III 511
Page 65 and 66: FFRIDD Y COED, HUT 511251 SH8386839
Page 67 and 68:
PANT-Y-CELYN, MARKER CAIRN 511316 S
Page 69 and 70:
GWASTADROS, TREE MOUND III 511378 S
Page 71 and 72:
AMNODD BWLL, DRAINAGE DITCHES I 511
show all

Arenig Fawr, Merioneth - Royal Commission on the Ancient and ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?