Caer Drewyn is an early

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

to the north of the town of

Corwen Corwen is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire in Wales. Historically, Corwen was part of the county of Merionethshire. Corwen stands on the banks of the River Dee beneath the Berwyn mountains. The town is situated west of Llang ...

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthi ...

(Grid reference ). It has a large stone rampart with entrances on the west and north sides; there is a guard chamber within the north-east entrance, and it has a deep defensive ditch.

The site

Caer Drewyn is the most southerly hillfort in the

Clwydian Range and Dee Valley The Clwydian Range and Dee Valley () is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; also known as a ''National Landscape'') located in north-east Wales, covering the Clwydian Range (), and the valley of the River Dee, Wales, River D ...

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB; , AHNE) is one of 46 areas of countryside in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland that has been designated for conservation due to its significant landscape value. Since 2023, the areas in England an ...

. It is situated on the spur of a hill between

Llangollen Llangollen () is a town and community (Wales), community, situated on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, in Denbighshire, Wales. Its riverside location forms the edge of the Berwyn range, and the Dee Valley section of the Clwydian Range and Dee Val ...

and

, commanding the valley junction and fertile plain at the confluence of the River Dee and the

River Alwen A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it run ...

. The main entrance is at the summit, and the site slopes to the west. The earliest structure was a small enclosure built against a natural rock outcrop. Today this structure is only visible as the remains of a grass-covered bank. A later, larger fortress was surrounded by a dry-stone wall, probably derived from the abundant scree in the area, and does not have the earthen ramparts of other local hillforts. It may have been built in sections by gangs; the eastern rampart shows lengths of smaller and of larger stones. The smooth outer face of the wall may have stood some 4.6 metres above its base, with a walkway 1.5 metres wide at the top.The hillforts of Wales. Toby Driver 2023. Logaston Press . p.151 The rampart has collapsed and the smooth outer face of the wall is now visible in only one small spot. The area of the site is about three hectares. There are two in-turned entrances, one at the highest point, with the possible remains of a guardhouse beside it, and the other on the west side adjoining the remains of a rectangular building. There is a further enclosure outside that contains stone foundations of what may have been a hut platform.

History

Caer Drewyn is an

fort dating back to about 500 BC, however it was in use as a defensive position long after this. Legend states that

Owain Gwynedd Owain ap Gruffudd ( – 23 or 28 November 1170) was King of Gwynedd, North Wales, from 1137 until his death in 1170, succeeding his father Gruffudd ap Cynan. He was called Owain the Great () and the first to be styled "Prince of Wales" and th ...

occupied it while

Henry II of England Henry II () was King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with the ...

was invading Gwynedd in 1165 via a southerly route, and

Owain Glyndŵr Owain ap Gruffydd (28 May 135420 September 1415), commonly known as Owain Glyndŵr (Glyn Dŵr, , anglicised as Owen Glendower) was a Welsh people, Welsh leader, soldier and military commander in the Wales in the late Middle Ages, late Middle ...

is believed to have gathered his troops here in 1400 after his followers proclaimed him

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

. The Welsh antiquarian

Edward Lhuyd Edward Lhuyd (1660– 30 June 1709), also known as Edward Lhwyd and by other spellings, was a Welsh scientist, geographer, historian and antiquary. He was the second Keeper of the University of Oxford's Ashmolean Museum, and published the firs ...

mentioned Caer Drewyn in the late seventeenth century as "a place where they kept their cattle in war time".

References

{{coord, 52.9891, -3.3606, format=dms, type:landmark, display=title Hillforts in Denbighshire Corwen

The site

History

See also

References