Mynydd Carningli is a mountain in the
Preseli Hills near the town of
Newport, Pembrokeshire,
Wales. It has both prehistoric and historic remains.
Topography
Carningli (or
Carn Ingli) is high. Close to the coast, it dominates the surrounding countryside. It is easy to climb but has a rocky summit and a steep
scree slope on its southern and eastern flanks. It is a biological
SSSI
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
.
Carningli Hillfort
The summit features a large and prominent archeological site; one of the largest
hillforts in west Wales.
This hillfort, generally dated to the
Iron Age and assumed to be from the first millennium BC. It covers an area of about 4 ha, and is about 400 m x 150 m in extent. The lower slopes of Carningli are covered with traces of
Bronze Age settlement (Pearson 2001) and so some features of the hillfort may be even older. Although not one of the largest fortified sites in Wales, it is certainly one of the most complex, incorporating a series of substantial stone embankments, natural rock cliffs and scree slopes which may have been used as natural defences. Inside and outside the embankments are terraced enclosures,
hut circles and rectangles. Approximately 25 hut circles are at the north east end of the site. On the other side are three enclosures separated by embankments. Beneath the scree slope on the eastern flank of the mountain are two further massive defensive embankments. The only plan is that of Hogg 1973 - it has been modified by Figgis, and again in recent research by
Brian John
Dr Brian S. John (born 1940) is a Welsh writer. He is the author of the historical-fiction series '' Angel Mountain Saga''.
John was born in Carmarthen, Wales. He studied at Haverfordwest Grammar School and at Jesus College, Oxford, where he ...
. According to Hogg, there are signs that some of the defensive embankments and walls had been intentionally demolished, which he attributed as "evidence for systematic destruction by Roman invaders in the aftermath of the conquest of Wales".
The
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales noted in 2009 that "Such a dramatic interpretation, placing the Roman legions on the slopes of Carn-ingli in an attack on its inhabitants, might be questioned today".
There are records of intermittent occupation of the site in the
Age of the Saints
The Age of the Saints was the period of Christianity in Wales around 500–700 AD.
History
Christianity had entered Wales during Roman times, initially as an urban religion. At first it was banned by the authorities who were suspicious of i ...
, and as recently as the
Middle Ages. No comprehensive excavations of the hillfort have been made.
As with other upland defended sites, the economy of the tribe which inhabited Carningli was probably a pastoral one. The site is very exposed, and it is quite possible that it was only seasonally inhabited.
The site is referred to in the
Cadw
(, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage s ...
Guide to Ancient and Historic Wales (1992) by Sian Rees, and in NP Figgis's "Prehistoric Preseli" (2001).
Sacred association
According to
legend Saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
Brynach (a local saint) used to climb to the summit to find serenity, to pray and to "commune with the angels" in the 5th century. In some old texts and maps the mountain is called Carn Yengly or Carnengli, which are probably corruptions of Carn Engylau. Strictly, this would be translated as "the rocky summit of the angels." However, this derivation of the name is not universally agreed.
[B G Charles, ''The Place-names of Pembrokeshire'', NLW, 1992, , page 163]
In literature
Brian John
Dr Brian S. John (born 1940) is a Welsh writer. He is the author of the historical-fiction series '' Angel Mountain Saga''.
John was born in Carmarthen, Wales. He studied at Haverfordwest Grammar School and at Jesus College, Oxford, where he ...
's "
Angel Mountain Saga
The Angel Mountain Saga of eight novels was written by Welsh author Brian John, and was first published at the rate of one volume per year in 2001-2005, with later volumes in 2007, 2009 and 2012. The publisher is Greencroft Books, based in Newpor ...
" of eight volumes, recounts the life of Mistress Martha Morgan of Plas Ingli. These books were published between 2001 and 2012. The mountain is the heroine's personal sanctuary.
Industry
There was once a little "mountain railway" on Carningli, carrying broken stone from a small quarry down to a crushing plant on the Cilgwyn Road. Some railway sleepers can still be found in the turf, but otherwise the only traces remaining are the two stone pillars that supported a cable drum — a cable was used to control the descent of the loaded wagons as they rolled downhill, and then to pull the empty ones back up again. This little industry was abandoned before 1930.
See also
*
List of hillforts in Wales
References
Further reading
*John, B. 2006 "Martha Morgan's Little World"
*John, B. 2008 "Carningli: Land and People"
*Miles, D. 1995 "The Ancient Borough of Newport in Pembrokeshire"
External links
Geograph: Photographs of Mynydd Carningli and surrounding area* Carningli photo galler
* Carningli slide sho
* Carningli guid
{{coord, 51.99843, N, 4.82450, W, region:GB_source:enwiki-osgb36(SN062371), display=title
Mountains and hills of Pembrokeshire
Hillforts in Pembrokeshire
Prehistoric sites in Pembrokeshire
Marilyns of Wales
Newport, Pembrokeshire