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UPLANDSINITIATIVE FIELDPROJECTS 2008-9

Llyn CelynSurvey Area

North Wales

Archaeological SurveyReport

Oxford Archaeology North

April 2009

RCAHMW

Issue No: 2008-9/925

OAN Job No L9942:

NGR: SH 843 428

Uplands Initiative Field Projects 2008-9: Llyn Celyn Survey Area 1

CONTENTS

SUMMARY...........................................................................................................................3

CRYNODEB.........................................................................................................................5

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..........................................................................................................7

1. INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................81.1 Circumstances of the Project......................................................................................81.2 Objectives..................................................................................................................8

2. METHODOLOGY..............................................................................................................92.1 Project Design...........................................................................................................92.2 Desk-Based Survey....................................................................................................92.3 Identification Survey.................................................................................................92.4 Gazetteer of Sites.....................................................................................................102.5 Archive....................................................................................................................10

3. TOPOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND.............................................................113.1 Location and Topography........................................................................................113.2 Geology...................................................................................................................113.3 Archaeological and Historical Background..............................................................12

4. RESULTS OF THE DESK-BASED STUDY.............................................................................174.1 Desk-Based Study Summary....................................................................................17

5. SURVEY RESULTS.........................................................................................................195.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................195.2 Prehistory ...............................................................................................................215.3 Medieval .................................................................................................................225.4 Post-Medieval/Modern............................................................................................23

6. CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................276.1 Landscape Development..........................................................................................276.2 Site Visibility...........................................................................................................29

7. RECOMMENDATIONS.......................................................................................................317.1 Recommendations for Further Work........................................................................31

8. BIBLIOGRAPHY..............................................................................................................328.1 Primary Sources.......................................................................................................328.2 Published Cartographic Sources...............................................................................328.3 Secondary Sources ..................................................................................................32

For the use of the RCAHMW © OA North April 2009


APPENDIX 1: GAZETTEER OF NEW SITES.............................................................................35

ILLUSTRATIONS..................................................................................................................55

PLATES............................................................................................................................56



SUMMARY

An archaeological identification survey of the mountainous region on the north side ofLlyn Celyn (SH 843 428 centred), near Bala, North Wales was undertaken between July2008 and February 2009, by Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) on behalf of theRoyal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW) aspart of the Uplands Initiative. The project comprised an initial archaeological desk-basedstudy, followed by a field identification survey for the study area. The survey of Llyn Celyn covers an area of 36.5 sqkm and consists of rolling moorlandascending the Arenig mountains, which form a chain following the county boundarybetween Gwynedd and Conwy and are on the north side of the Tryweryn valley and LlynCelyn reservoir. The study area consists of a mixture of sloping open moorland andboggy areas, which rises from approximately 300m to 689m OD on the summit ofArenig Fach, with the moorland being fringed by semi-improved enclosures on the lowerslopes and cwms.

In total, 24 sites were established by the desk-based study as being recorded within theHistoric Environment Record (HER) and National Monument Record (NMR), all ofwhich were updated and 6 NMR and 18 HER sites were given new NMR numbers. Intotal, 472 new sites were identified by the field survey, representing a substantialnumerical increase in the number of sites within the study area.Evidence from the prehistoric period is limited to a relatively low concentration offunerary monuments, for the most part summit cairns similar to those found throughoutthe surrounding region. There is a new cairn identified on the summit of Arenig Fachwhich now makes a pair of monuments at the location, whilst the original cairn may be aring cairn. Two further round cairns were discovered that both were located on smallspurs of land, and were similar in altitude and aspect, overlooking the Tryweryn valley. Within the medieval period the study area was part of the Forest of Snowdon and themountains formed suitable areas for both legal and illegal encroachment of ffriddenclosures and for transhumant hafod-style settlement and agriculture. There is evidenceof a scattering of deserted rural settlements, isolated longhouses and transhumant hafodthroughout the study area, located both on the once open common and on the enclosedfringes of the uplands on the valley sides. The abbey of Ystrad Marchell also held agrange/vaccary in Cwm Hesgyn, which is an isolated narrow upland valley within theeastern end of the study area. Many of the surviving farmsteads, cottages and even sheepfolds within the fringe lands of the study area may have grown out of earlier transhumantsettlement.

In total, 406 sites have been ascribed to the post-medieval period, seven sites are modernand 12 are of unknown date. The majority of the identified sites reflect the relativelyrecent exploitation of large tracts of open moorland for sheepwalks. Up to 421 examplesof sheepfolds and shelters were scattered across the whole study area, as well as severalfarmsteads and cottages, and there was also ample evidence for barns, byres, and otherancillary structures on the upper limits of the ffridd enclosures within the study area,demonstrating that sheep farming has been a major enterprise in this period.



Industry within the study area was limited in extent but there were two speculativemanganese mines at Mochowgryn and Nant yr Helfa where adits and stopes aresurrounded by widespread trial workings. Further more dispersed sites were identified inthe rest of the study area, including many trial levels and slate trials, and a possible slatequarry documented at Taihirion. Extensive areas of peat cutting were also recorded in thewestern half of the study area.The open hills and moorland of the study area has formed part of the extensive grouseshooting holdings of the Rhiwlas estate after it was acquired from the crown in 1864. Theland was demarcated to the north with boundary stones, many of which have beeninscribed. There are several discrete clusters of shooting stands recorded beneath hillcrests or adjacent to standing or running water and with attendant nearby lodges/huts.

Access up onto the sheepwalks required the construction of various sinuous trackways,many of which could have also served upland settlement or afforded access to peatcutting areas. The largest recorded trackway/communication route was a sunkenpackhorse track recorded in the study area which runs for 3km along the side of theB4391 forming a moorland route from Bala to Ffestiniog. The trackway utilises aputative 'Elizabethan' single span arched bridge at Taihirion, which may suggest thelongevity of the route.



CRYNODEB

Ymgymerwyd ag arolwg archeolegol i adnabod mynydd-dir ochr ogleddol Llyn Celyn(SH 843 428 canol), ger y Bala, Gogledd Cymru rhwng Gorffennaf 2008 a Chwefror2009, gan Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) ar ran Comisiwn Brenhinol HenebionCymru (RCAHMW) fel rhan o’r Fenter Ucheldir. Roedd y prosiect yn golygu astudiaetharcheolegol wrth y ddesg i ddechrau, ac wedyn arolwg adnabod yn y maes ar gyfer hollardal yr astudiaeth.Mae’r arolwg o Lyn Celyn yn cwmpasu ardal o 36.5 cilomedr sgwâr yn cynnwys gweundir tonnog yn codii fynyddoedd Arennig sy’n ffurfio cadwyn yn dilyn y ffin rhwng siroedd Gwynedd a Chonwy ar ochrogleddol cwm Tryweryn a chronfa ddŵr Llyn Celyn. Cymysgwch rhwng gweunydd agored llechweddog amannau corsiog sydd dan astudiaeth, gan godi o ryw 300m i 689m OD ar gopa Arennig Fach, gyda thircaeedig wedi’i led-wella ar lethrau isaf a pheiranau ymylon y gweundir.

I gyd, pennodd yr astudiaeth ddesg 24 safle oedd wedi’u cofnodi o dan HER ac NMR, aphob un o’r rheiny wedi’u diweddaru gyda 18 yn cael rhifau newydd o dan NMR. Achymryd y cyfan gyda’i gilydd, 472 o safleoedd newydd a gafodd eu pennu gan yrarolwg maes, sy’n cynrychioli cryn gynnydd yn nifer y safleoedd o fewn ardal yrastudiaeth.

Mae tystiolaeth y cyfnod cynhanes wedi’i chyfyngu i grynhoad cymharol fach o henebionangladdol, sef, gan mwyaf, carneddau copa yn ffurfio patrwm llac o arfer angladdol awelir drwy’r rhanbarth oddi amgylch i gyd. Uniaethwyd carnedd newydd ar gopaArennig Fach, sy’n golygu bod bellach ddwy heneb yn y lleoliad. Hwyrach mai carneddgylch yw’r un wreiddiol. Darganfuwyd dwy garnedd gron arall, yn debyg eu huchder a’ugolwg, ar hyd esgeiriau bach yn edrych dros gwm Tryweryn.

Yn y canoloesoedd roedd ardal yr astudiaeth yn rhan o Fforest Eryri ac roedd y mynydd-dir yn cynnig cyfleoedd addas i lechfeddiant cyfreithlon ac anghyfreithlon ar ffurfffriddoedd ac i anheddu ac amaethu trawstrefol drwy hafodydd. Gwelir tystiolaeth oaneddiadau gwledig diffaith ar wasgar, tai hir anghysbell a hafodydd trawstrefol ledledardal yr astudiaeth, a’r rheiny wedi’u lleoli ar y tir comin a fuasai’n agored gynt ac arymylon caeedig ucheldir ochrau’r cymoedd. Roedd gan Abaty Ystrad Marchellysgubordy/fferm wartheg hefyd yng Nghwm cul anghysbell Hesgyn ar ucheldirdwyreiniol ardal yr astudiaeth. Mae’n bosib bod llawer o’r ffermdai, bythynnod a hyd ynoed gorlannau sy’n goroesi yn nhiroedd ymylol ardal yr astudiaeth wedi datblygu oaneddiadau trawstrefa cynharach.

I gyd, cafodd 406 o safleoedd eu priodoli i’r cyfnod ôl-ganoloesol; mae saith safle’nddiweddar ac mae 12 o ddyddiad anhysbys. Mae mwyafrif y safleoedd a uniaethwyd yncynrychioli ymelwa cymharol ddiweddar ar eangderau’r gweundir agored at ddibenionffriddoedd. Gwelwyd hyd at 421 enghraifft o gorlannau a llochesau wedi’u gwasgaru ardraws holl ardal yr astudiaeth, yn ogystal â nifer o ffermdai a bythynnod, ac roedd hefydddigonedd o dystiolaeth o ysguboriau, beudai a fframweithiau ategol eraill ar derfynauucha’r ffriddoedd caeedig yn ardal yr astudiaeth, sy’n profi bod ffermio defaid wedi bodyn fenter o bwys yn ystod y cyfnod hwn.



Cyfyngedig oedd cwmpas diwydiant o fewn ardal yr astudiaeth, er y ceid daufwynglawdd manganîs posib ym Mochowgryn a Nant yr Helfa lle gwelwyd mynedfeydda phonciau’n ymwthio i’r wythïen ac o’u cwmpas lefelydd prawf eang ar bob llaw, aphennwyd safleoedd pellach mwy gwasgaredig drwy weddill ardal yr astudiaeth, gangynnwys lefelydd prawf niferus a phrofion llechi, ac o bosib chwarel lechi wedi’idogfennu yn Nhaihirion. Cofnodwyd hefyd leiniau helaeth lle’r arferid codi mawn ynhanner gorllewinol ardal yr astudiaeth.Mae bryniau a gweundir agored ardal yr astudiaeth yn rhan o ddaliadau eang saethugrugieir ystâd y Rhiwlas ers ei meddiannu oddi ar y Goron ym 1864. I’r gogledd roedd ytir wedi’i ddiffinio drwy gerrig terfyn, a llawer o’r rheiny’n arysgrifedig. Mae sawlclwstwr arwahanol o safleoedd saethu wedi’u cofnodi islaw cribau’r bryniau neu wrthochr dŵr llonydd neu ddŵr rhedegog gyda chabanau/cytiau cysylltiedig gerllaw.

Buasai angen gosod amrywiol dracffyrdd dolennog i gyrraedd y ffriddoedd fry a gallasaillawer o’r rheiny fod at wasanaeth aneddiadau’r ucheldir hefyd neu roi mynediad i’rmannau codi mawn. Y dracffordd/llwybr cysylltu mwyaf a gofnodwyd yn ardal yrastudiaeth oedd ceuffordd ceffylau pwn sy’n rhedeg am 3km gydag ochr y B4391 iffurfio llwybr gweundir rhwng y Bala a Ffestiniog. Mae’r dracffordd yn croesi pontgefngrom un-bwa bosib o oes Elisabeth yn Nhaihirion, a all fod yn arwydd o hirhoedleddy llwybr.



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) would like to thank the Staff of the RoyalCommission on Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW), in particularDavid Leighton, David Thomas, Salvatore Garfi and Medwyn Parry, and also the staff ofthe reader services of the National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth. OA North is alsograteful to all the landowners and estate managers who generously allowed the surveyteam onto their land. In particular, we would like to thank Mr Robin Price at the RhiwlasEstate in Bala.We would like to thank Jackie Johnson, Land Charges Officer at Gwynedd CountyCouncil, and Nina Steele of the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust for providing HERdetails.

The field survey and desk-based assessment were undertaken by Peter Schofield, andassisted by David Maron and Des O’Leary. The report was written by Peter Schofield,who also undertook the illustrations. The report was edited by Jamie Quartermaine, whoalso managed the project.



1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE PROJECT

1.1.1 Oxford Archaeology North (OA North) was invited to undertake anarchaeological identification survey of the mountainous region on the north sideof Llyn Celyn (SH 843 428 centred) near Bala, North Wales, on behalf of theRoyal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales(RCAHMW) as part of the Uplands Initiative. The study area encompasses 36.5sqkm of upland and is located to the north-west of the Bala and Bala Lakesidesregistered Historic Landscape No. 53 (Cadw/ICOMOS 1998).

1.2 OBJECTIVES

1.2.1 The objectives of the project were:• to promote a wider and deeper understanding of upland areas and their role in

Welsh history, in accordance with the aims of the Uplands Initiative;• to provide an accurate Level 1 survey of all identified monuments (OA North

2002).1.2.2 To achieve these objectives the study area was subject to a desk-based assessment

and walkover survey. The desk-based study, carried out in July 2008, consisted ofa search of both published and unpublished records held by the NationalMonuments Record (NMR) of Wales, National Library of Wales, GwyneddArchaeological Trust (HER), Gwynedd Archives: Meirionnydd Record Office andthe library and archives at OA North's offices in Lancaster. The field work wascarried out to fit in with access availability and weather conditions; and wasundertaken between July 2008 and February 2009.

1.2.3 This report sets out the results of the work, accompanied by a summary gazetteerof new sites (Appendix 1).



2. METHODOLOGY

2.1 PROJECT DESIGN

2.1.1 A project design (OA North 2007) was submitted by OA North in response to arequest for archaeological surveys of extensive areas of the Welsh Uplands; it wasdesigned to meet the requirements of a brief issued by RCAHMW (2007). Theproject design provided for an initial archaeological desk-based study, followedby a field identification survey for the following areas: Carnedd Moel Siabod(North), Carnedd Moel Siabod (South) and Llyn Celyn. OA North wascommissioned to undertake survey of one of these project areas and the presentreport relates to the Llyn Celyn area only (Figs 1 and 2).

2.2 DESK-BASED SURVEY

2.2.1 National Monuments Record (NMR): an assessment was made of data held bythe RCAHMW, Aberystwyth, which was overlain onto digital 1:10,000 mappingfor the study area.

2.2.2 Aerial Photographs: aerial photography from the NMR office was also consultedalong with the RCAHMW aerial photographic interpretation of the study area.Information relating to possible new sites was annotated onto the field walkingmaps in GIS format (ArcGIS 9.3).

2.2.3 Historic Environment Record (HER): an assessment was made of data held bythe Gwynedd Archaeological Trust (GAT), which was also overlain onto thedigital base map for the area.

2.2.4 Ordnance Survey Mapping: all available historic mapping for the survey area(provided by RCAHMW) was examined for indications of historic sites that werenot previously represented in the NMR and HER databases.

2.2.5 World Wide Web: historic landscape characterisation, parish records, census dataand transcripts of some public records were obtained from archives and localhistories on the internet. More modern data on the parish was also gleaned, whichprovided information about recent developments in the area.

2.3 IDENTIFICATION SURVEY

2.3.1 An identification survey to Level 1 (OA North 2002) was undertaken of the LlynCelyn study area. The identification survey represents the minimum standard ofrecord for field investigation, and is aimed at the discovery of previouslyunrecorded sites. Its objective is to record the existence, location, and extent ofany archaeological site. The emphasis of the record lies on the written description,which includes comments on character and condition, and sites have been gradedin terms of condition and archaeological significance. Sites already identifiedwithin the study area by the NMR and HER were checked and recorded at the



same level of consistency as the newly discovered sites. The whole survey area,including both the unenclosed commons and small areas of surrounding improvedand enclosed fringes, was examined. The survey aimed to identify, locate andrecord archaeological sites and features on the ground and involved fourelements: reconnaissance, mapping, description and digital photography. Thisgenerated core information for entry into the NMR and additional archiveinformation, in accordance with the RCAHMW Revised Data Standard forUpland Survey (RCAHMW 2004).

2.3.2 Each area was walked in transects of between 30m and 50m, depending on localtopography and ground cover. The archaeological detail was mapped using Leicadifferential GPS equipment which used real-time EGNOS corrections from geo-stationary satellites to achieve an accuracy of up to +-0.5m. The digital surveydata was transferred as shapefiles into a GIS system (ArcGIS 9.3), and wassuperimposed onto the embedded digital Ordnance Survey data (Figs 3 and 4).The descriptive records were input on-site into a database on a Psion portablepalm computer; the more complex sites were also sketched onto paper pro-formasheets. A photographic record of the sites was maintained using digital colourimagery and the images were used to accompany the present report.

2.4 GAZETTEER OF SITES

2.4.1 All of the information concerning archaeological sites within the assessed areawas collated into a gazetteer (Appendix 1), which provides brief details of theirlocation, period, type and altitude. Locations are given as ten-figure National GridReferences where possible, and the position of each site is indicated on Figures 3and 4.

2.5 ARCHIVE

2.5.1 A full archive has been produced to a professional standard in accordance withcurrent English Heritage guidelines (1991) and the Guidelines for the Preparationof Excavation Archives for Long Term Storage (UKIC 1990). The project archiverepresents the collation and indexing of all the data and material gathered duringthe course of the project. The archive is provided in the English Heritage Centrefor Archaeology format, both as a printed document and digitally. A synopsis,including the index to the archive and a copy of the report, will be placed in theNMR, RCAHMW at Aberystwyth and the Gwynedd HER at GAT, Bangor.



3. TOPOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

3.1 LOCATION AND TOPOGRAPHY

3.1.1 The survey area of Llyn Celyn covers an area of 36.5 sqkm and consists of rollingmoorland and the Arenig mountains on the central/eastern end of SnowdoniaNational Park. The northern side of the area is defined by the county boundarybetween Gwynedd and Conwy and the entire survey area lies in the formercounty. The undulating ridgeline summits include: Carnedd Iago; Carnedd y Fran;Carnedd y Gors-gam; Carnedd Llechwedd-llyfn; Carnedd y Filiast; and TrumNant-fach - whilst some of the carnedd names relate to prehistoric summit cairns,they clearly all relate to boundary markers along an ancient boundary. The surveyarea is centred on land descending from the mountainous ridgeline marking thecounty boundary and has cwms containing Afon Hesgyn and Afon Gelyn whichdrain south into the Tryweryn valley. Afon Tryweryn is a tributary of the Deewhich drains the southern edge of the survey area and it was dammed in thesecond half of the twentieth century to form Llyn Celyn (Plate 1 and 2).

3.1.2 The western edge of the study area contains rolling moorland and boggy plateauto the west of Mochowgryn and the Ffridd Craig Henllan hills (Plate 3). Thecentre of the survey area is dominated by the mountain of Arenig Fach (at 689mOD), which is one of a pair of mountains (with Arenig Fawr) that are each onopposite sides of the Tryweryn valley. To the east of Arenig Fach lies the elevatedtarn of Llyn Arenig Fach which drains eastwards into the enclosed lands skirtingAfon Gelyn. The eastern half of the study area consists of the hills flanking eachside of the cwm containing Llyn Hesgyn. To the west of the cwm are foothillsdescending from Carnedd y Filiast, at Brottos, Foel-boeth and Garneddwen,whilst on the eastern side of the cwm is a north/south orientated range of hillsflanking the western edge of the Mynach valley, which contain Trum Nant-fach,Llechwedd Du, Cyfiau, Graig Ddu, Ffridd Bwlch-graianog and Craig y Garn.Field enclosure and farmsteading occurs on the southern and eastern fringes of thestudy area and the most extensive area of this occurs in the centre of the surveyarea around Afon Gelyn.

3.2 GEOLOGY

3.2.1 The solid geology of the study area is highly faulted and consists of extrusiveigneous rocks of Cambrian to Precambrian age (acid tuffs) that form the bulk ofthe study area. There is a small band of igneous rock of Silurian to Ordovicianage (basic lava and tuff) on the western end of the study area and further bands ofintrusive igneous rocks (fine-grained intermediate tuff) located on the west andsouth-west of the study area. The igneous rocks around the rugged Arenigmountains form volcanic sills that are part of a band of geology formingescarpments similar to, but less impressive than, those on Cadair Idris to the west



(Bowen and Gresham 1967, 1). Further discrete bands of exposed sedimentaryrocks of Ordovician age (Caradoc series) are found scattered throughout the studyarea (British Geological Survey 1994; Neville George and Smith 1961). Theoverlying soils are a mixture of various soil types dependant on the parent rock(Soil Survey 1983). The area is dominated by very acidic peaty soils of theCrowdy 1, Crowdy 2 and Bangor associations. These are located on theundulating lands in the west of the study area around Carnedd Iago,Mochowgryn, and the southern flank of Arenig Fach in the centre of the studyarea, and around Foel-boeth and Carnedd y Filiast in the east of the study area.The soils found in the centre of the study area, in the sheltered dip skirting AfonGelyn, consist of slowly permeable fine silty and clayey soils of the Ceginassociation. The rest of the east side of the study area consist of bands of amixture of permeable or well-drained loamy upland soils of the Wilcocks 2,Hafren and Malvern associations (ibid).

3.3 ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

3.3.1 Prehistoric to Roman: prior to the present survey three sites were recordedwithin the study area as being prehistoric, or more specifically Bronze Age indate. All of the sites consisted of summit cairns, one on the county boundary atCarnedd y Filiast (NMR 303367), one on the summit of Garneddwen (NMR303172; Plate 4) and one on the summit of Arenig Fach (NMR 303141; Plate 5).A further potential cairn/mound of unknown date was also recorded on the parishboundary on the south flank of Carnedd Iago (NMR 501500). The majority ofprehistoric sites recorded (and scheduled) in the immediate region surroundingthe study area are also summit cairns.

3.3.2 Three potential single round house sites were recorded from the Gwynedd HER,but the present survey revealed these structures at Cors y Garnedd (NMR501522), Ffridd Craig Henllan (NMR 501501) and Craig y Garn (NMR 501914)to be later medieval or post-medieval domestic or stock management features.Iron Age/Romano-British activity in the region seems to have had a strongmilitary component, although these sites fall further to the south of the study areain the lowlands, predominantly around the natural routeway in the corridor of thevalley containing Bala Lake (Cadw et al 1998, 69). There is little evidence fromthe HER of upland occupation in the region immediately surrounding the presentsurvey area, although this may reflect a lack of archaeological investigation. Theroute through the valley around Bala Lake has the potential to have been used asfar back as the prehistoric period, prior to Roman occupation (Bowen andGresham 1967, 3). The distribution of lowland findspots of stone axes and axehammers show a concentration on the flanks of the hills located on the north sideof Bala Lake (op cit, 40) which may point towards lowland occupation in thisarea. There are Roman military complexes located at either end of Bala Lakewhich are joined by the putative Roman road to Chester (NMR 303524). Thereare the remains of an auxiliary fort at Caer Gai on the south-west end of the lake(NMR 95436) and the cropmark remains of a large military complex at Llanforon the north-east end of the lake (NMR 95436). The complexes at Llanfor also



revealed a putative destroyed stone circle (Bowen and Gresham 1967, 283) andgeophysical anomalies of putative Bronze Age burial and ritual sites (Cadw et al1998, 69). A further Roman road (NMR 401036) led north-westwards from thefort at Caer Gai over the mountains to the fort and complex at Tomen y Murwhich is located to the west of the study area (Bowen and Gresham 1967, 228).

3.3.3 Medieval: there is clear physical and documentary evidence for the dispersedhabitation and exploitation of the study area within the medieval period, althoughthis predominantly relates to easily identifiable 'medieval' domestic structures,such as longhouses, and no field-system elements have previously beenidentified. The main concentration of sites is on the western end of the study areawhere there are deserted rural settlements containing hafod structures, platformhouses and longhouses. Within Ffridd Craig Henllan are the remains of a desertedrural settlement (NMR 15491) that contains at least one hafod and two platformhouses (NMR 501501, 501502 and 501576). Further to the north in the north-west corner of the study area are the remains of two deserted rural settlements saton the edge of Nant yr Olchfa (NMR 501506 and 501507), which both containlonghouses and other structures. Single sites include a hafod site at Carnedd yFran (NMR 501505) and further to the east a platform house at Nant Rhos Ddu(NMR 501503). More dispersed evidence of settlement sites were found withinthe rest of the study area, with a longhouse located adjacent to Afon Trinant inthe centre of the study area (NMR 501504), and a deserted rural settlementcontaining several longhouses (NMR 501508) and a putative hafod site (NMR501914) on the extreme south-east of the study area at Craig y Garn/Ffridd Maesy Gadfa. The latter site was found in close association with a stock enclosure(NMR 501915), although this was undated.

3.3.4 Within the medieval period the study area lay within the commote of Penllyn inMerionethshire and was under the control at first of the Princes of Gwynedd andsubsequently, the English Crown. The area was relatively uninhabited in the earlymedieval period, especially the rugged upland areas (Beverly-Smith and Beverly-Smith 2001, 209), although it was exploited latterly for its extensive uplandwoodland resources, hunting and moorland grazing as part of the Forest ofSnowdon. Tenants of the Penllyn commote were taxed on their produce, whichlargely comprised of renders in livestock and dairy produce and, to a lesserextent, oats (op cit, 42). The mountains formed suitable areas for both legal andillegal encroachment of ffridd enclosures in the late medieval period and possiblyearlier, with widespread cattle-based transhumant hafod-style settlement andagriculture in the study area. Both manorial and monastic landholders exploitedthe upland pastures with vaccaries and granges within the region and documentsprovide evidence of a strong Cistercian influence in Gwynedd in this period, andparticularly relevant to the present survey within the hills on the north side of theTryweryn valley, which includes the southern edge of the survey area (op cit,204). It is probable that the majority of farming involved the pioneeringexploitation of marginal uplands for the pasturage of cattle rather than sheep,although the Cistercians were known as accomplished sheep farmers and woollentraders, and may have had some sheepwalks at that date. The abbey ofBasingwerk held a grange at Bochraeadr in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries



which had been gifted by the Princes of the dynasty of Powys (op cit, 307), andthis landholding now skirts the western edge of Llyn Celyn on the valley floor(Fig 2). The grange was used for the rearing of prestige horses for trade and inpart as dues to the Princes (op cit, 42, 205 and 712). The abbey of YstradMarchell (Strata Marcella) held a grange/vaccary in Cwm Hesgyn in Llanycilparish (ibid), which is an isolated narrow upland valley at the eastern end of thesurvey area (Fig 2).

3.3.5 Post-medieval to Modern: the landscape of the study area, and the surroundingregion around Bala was, from the Tudor period, shaped predominantly by thedevelopment of the Rhiwlas Estate under the Price family. Large tracts of theupland moorland remained ostensibly Crown Lands of the Forest of Snowdon,however, the farms and cultivable lands surrounding these areas and also certainencroachments into the forest were increasingly amalgamated into the estatethrough crown leases (Thomas 1967, 212). The Forest of Snowdon sufferedparticularly badly through illegal encroachment and as the 'Extents of Merioneth'manuscript had been lost, at some stage prior to 1573 (Evans 2005), it wasextremely difficult to ascertain which encroachments and landholdings weremedieval freehold land. At the end of the sixteenth century (during the Crownsurvey of 1592) the emerging landed estates fought hard against the disclosure ofconcealed lands which had been enclosed as ffriddoedd from the earlier commonsand monastic upland grazing lands (op cit, 660). In particular, the Dissolution ofthe Monasteries directly led to the lands of Ystrad Marchell of some 1,400 acresin Penllyn coming into the hands of the Rhiwlas estate (GAT 2006, 1; Thomas1967, 661). The main focus of the estate, however, lay further to the south-east ofthe survey area around Cwmtirmynach, but this had again been acquired from theremnants of monastic lands, this time of Basingwerk Abbey (ibid; Evans 2005,283).

3.3.6 Estate Development: by the nineteenth century the Rhiwlas estate had reached itsmaximum extent through prudent land acquisitions and intermarriage; by thetime of the tithe schedules in the 1840s it was the third largest estate inMerioneth with 14,751 acres (Thomas 1967, 232-233 [Fig 4] and 238). By theend of the century it owned almost 16,500 acres (GAT 2006, 1), and the estateactively extended the area of cultivatable lands into the uplands withimprovements of the existing ffridd enclosures through drainage and stoneclearance. The additional land acreage added after the tithe schedule reflects thelarge scale acquisition of Crown Lands by means of the Enclosure Act of 1864(Z/DDD/1/191 and Z/DDD/6/1; Fig 5). The land was presumably boughtostensibly to develop profitable upland grouse shooting areas at Arenig Bach[Fach] Moor (Z/DDD/1/191), although it also consolidated its holdings ofcommon grazing on the extensive Arenig sheepwalks, with the upland farmsowned by the estate (in particular Taihirion) containing large numbers of sheep(Z/DDD/1/222). The Rhiwlas Estate had first developed shooting lands nearer tothe estate seat with a mixture of rabbit warrens, pheasant coverts and grouseshooting. To give an example of the industrial scale of the enterprise, oneparticular shoot on the 7th October 1885 dispatched 5096 rabbits and 5106 gamebetween 10am and 5pm (Price 1899, 29). The Arenig Bach grouse moor



consisted of 8000-9000 acres of general shooting moorland with several coverts,which was rented out at one stage on five to seven year lets. Accommodation forthe shooting parties would have been at the inn at Rhydyfan (now a farm) on thesouth side of the survey area (Z/DDD/1/195), and located near to the Arenigrailway station on the Bala and Ffestiniog Railway which opened in 1882(Awdry 1990, 15).

3.3.7 Previously identified evidence of archaeological features from the Post-medievalto modern periods are sparse within the study area; except for a boundary markercairn on the summit of Craig y Garn at the extreme south-eastern end of the area(NMR 501917) all are clustered in the western end of the study area. The mostimportant site consists of a Scheduled single-arched packhorse bridge of putative'Elizabethan' date which is located to the west of the farmstead at Taihirion (NMR24157; Plate 11). The bridge forms a river crossing on an old routeway runningacross the mountains from Bala to Ffestiniog along the modern B4391 (Plate 3).The site of the farmhouse of Taihirion ('longhouse') was Grade II Listed (NMR28742), and the name suggests an early encroachment and farmed enclosure onthe commons. Further stock management features in the form of a byre on FfriddCraig Henllan (NMR 501577) and a sheepfold (previously identified as a roundhouse) on Cors y Garnedd (NMR 501522) were also identified.

3.3.8 Industrial Activity: mineral extraction typically has a major indelible impact onthe landscape of Wales, but with respect to the present study area, and itsimmediate surrounding region, there is little evidence of extensive exploitation.Two nineteenth century manganese mines are located within the study area atMoel Mochowgryn (NMR 501510) and Nant yr Helfa (NMR 501911), and theseform part of the diversification of the Rhiwlas Estates and their speculation ofnatural resources, to investigate the potential for future royalties and incomegained from leases on their land. The mines were worked in a small scalespeculative manner and may have had some initial impetus from the proximity ofthe Bala and Ffestiniog Railway, which, when completed in 1882, skirted thesouth side of the study area. It had a station at Arenig, and formed a readilyaccessible transport route out of the uplands. Moel Mochowgryn was workedfrom 1887 to 1894 but only raised 15 tonnes of ore (all from 1887) and in thatshort space of time the mine was operated by Daniel Smeadly, then JH Brookeand finally Allsop, Jones and Evans (Linton nd; Wilkinson 2003). Nant yr Helfamine was opened in presumably the same period and in a similar manner althoughlittle documentary evidence survives. It was mentioned in 1886 in correspondenceof the Rhiwlas Estate and was leased out to William Owen in 1906 (ibid). Furtherspeculative mining, this time for lead, occurred at Amnodd and Nant Ddu Mine(HER 21710/21860), located immediately adjacent to the study area to the southof Ffridd Craig Henllan and on land that was not owned by the Rhiwlas Estate.The mine was operated between 1869 and 1880 (at least), initially as a Crownestate lease, then it was recorded as owned by John Wynne. The mine pre-datedthe construction of the railway, which passed immediately to the south, althoughit was on the main arterial road running from Bala to Trawsfynydd.



3.3.9 A further industrial site recorded within the study area consists of an extensivepeat cutting located immediately uphill to the west of the manganese mine atMochowgryn (NMR 501509). It is likely that the cutting relates directly to the useof the mine buildings and accommodation; however, the longevity of thesurrounding farmstead enclosures in the lowlands probably points to extensivecutting of turves for fuel in the region from at least the medieval period onwards.The topographic aspect and drainage pattern of the rolling moorland within thesurvey area has led to large areas of peat coverage where the hillsides have agentle gradient. Peat turbaries are recorded in Merionethshire, in legal disputesfrom at least the seventeenth century onwards; within the commote of Penllyn,both within and surrounding the study area, turf was the most common fuel(Owen 1975, 310). Throughout the post-medieval period turf was exploited byindividual farmsteads that had common rights on the surrounding open Crownlands, as other fuel sources, in the form of wood and coal, were either exhaustedthrough tree felling in the valleys or lay too far removed for transport to bepracticable (op cit, 311).

3.3.10 The landscape of the Tryweryn valley was changed forever in the early 1960swith the construction of what was initially called the Tryweryn Reservoir (Plate2). The reservoir was to provide water for Liverpool and its construction wasapproved in parliament by the Liverpool Corporation Act of 1957. The reservoircovered an area of 830 acres and held up to 16,400 million gallons of water,which was regulated and flowed for 70 miles down the River Dee before beingtreated and stored nearer the end destination (Gibberd nd, 183; Gurdon 1960,273). The reservoir was eventually named Llyn Celyn after Capel Celyn, thehamlet that was drowned in it's construction. The reservoir caused a four and ahalf mile diversion of the main road through the valley and although it wasinitially planned to divert the Bala to Ffestiniog Railway around the reservoir itwas eventually closed in 1961 (Gurdon 1960, 273). The construction of thereservoir caused intense, deep felt, and occasionally violent opposition on both alocal and national scale in Wales.



4. RESULTS OF THE DESK-BASED STUDY

4.1 DESK-BASED STUDY SUMMARY

4.1.1 Cartographic Evidence: examination of the historic maps, the Ordnance Survey(OS) first and subsequent editions of the 6” and 25” to 1 mile mapping, has thepotential to inform the development of the enclosed lands and higher unenclosedmoorland; however, in practice there was little significant difference revealedbetween the extensive OS first edition mapping (1890-91) and that of today. Thelayout of the ffridd enclosure fields on the fringes of the study area has beenalmost entirely static and unchanged, demonstrating that the pattern of smallpiecemeal encroachments on the land on the northern flank of the Trywerynvalley pre-dates the mid-nineteenth century. One important difference throughoutthe various editions of mapping is the abandonment of the small uplandfarmsteads, cottages and byres in the study area that occurred throughout thetwentieth century. The historic mapping indicates that the principal use for themoorland was for the grazing of sheep, and there are numerous sheepfolds shownin various localities, including along field boundaries, at the edges of streams, onthe open common, on the edge of the farmed land, and on the higher sheep walks,where they nestle within the sheltered glacial cwms. There is further evidence forseveral shooting boxes which highlight the use of the moorland as a shootingestate. The earliest mapping also shows evidence of the summit cairns onGarneddwen, Carnedd y Filiast and Carnedd Bachgen (Arenig Fach). Both themanganese mines, at Mochowgryn and Nant yr Helfa are shown from the OS firstedition mapping (1889) as being disused, along with the lead mine at Nant Ddu,and the dam on the edge of Llyn Arenig Fach is shown from the OS secondedition mapping onwards.

4.1.2 Several primary cartographic sources from the Rhiwlas estate archive wereinvestigated. The most important document being the one that shows the largearea of Crown common lands bought by the Rhiwlas estate in 1864 (Z/DDD/6/1;Fig 5). Another plan shows Taihirion farmstead on the western end of the studyarea in 1824; it shows the farmhouse and garden in a small enclosure along theedge of the road with a further two enclosures, each with a byre, stackyard andsheep folds, on the north side of the road (NMR 501616). The plan also showsthe 'old bridge' at Pont Taihirion (NMR 24157). The land surrounding the northand west side of the farmstead holdings are shown as common land, although theland to the south at Ffridd Craig Henllan is shown as enclosed lands. The latterwere also shown on a tracing of a plan of land claimed in a dispute in thenineteenth century (Z/DDD/6/88). This shows the disputed land as containingFfridd Craig Henllan enclosure and all the unenclosed common running to thewest and north-west of it and to the north and west of Taihirion. Many of thesheepfolds, byres and structures on the west side of the study area, often those notshown on the OS mapping, are depicted. In particular much of the deserted ruralsettlement clustered around Ffridd Craig Henllan is shown, with at least onemarked as 'hafoty'r ewies', along with dispersed sheepfolds on the north-west



corner of the survey area. In addition, Pont Taihirion is shown as the 'old Romanbridge' and Mochowgryn manganese mine is marked 'mango mine'.

4.1.3 Aerial Photographic Interpretation: digital aerial photographic mapping andinterpretation was supplied by the RCAHMW under the auspices of the UplandsInitiative. The interpretation identified a large proportion of archaeologicalremains, in particular extensive areas of peat cutting, dispersed stone-walledstock management features and a small localised area of manganese mining.These sites clearly relate to highly visible episodes of post-medieval moorlandexploitation. It is further interesting to note that the areas where no features wereidentified by this process also roughly matched the areas where field survey alsofailed to find significant numbers of archaeological sites, so on balance the aerialphotographic interpretation has proved useful in this instance.

4.1.4 Gwynedd Historic Environment Record (HER), National Monuments Recordof Wales (NMR): in total, 24 unduplicated sites were recorded within the HERand NMR; comprising three Bronze Age sites, eleven medieval sites, eight post-medieval sites and two sites of unknown date (Table 1; Figs 3 and 4).



5. SURVEY RESULTS

5.1 INTRODUCTION

5.1.1 The survey examined both known and previously unknown sites which ranged indate from potentially the Bronze Age through to the post-medieval and modernperiods. The majority of the sites consisted of widely dispersed singlemonuments, although larger groups of sites were evident, in particular thegroupings of structures associated with manganese mining, the mountainrouteway between Bala and Ffestiniog, clusters of shooting stands and severaldeserted rural settlements. All the sites identified by the documentary study wereexamined; their locations and extent were updated on the mapping, as required,and the site descriptions were enhanced. Both new and old sites are indicated onFigures 3 and 4. In total, four portions of the study area measuring 1.4 sq kmwere not subject to walkover survey (Fig 2), as access was either not granted bythe landowner or the land comprises plantation woodland.

5.1.2 Previously Recorded Sites: the desk-based study identified six pre-survey NMRsites, whilst a further 18 unduplicated HER sites were also updated and givennew NMR numbers. The majority of the known sites were confirmed by theidentification survey; however, a few sites, despite extensive searching, could notbe located.

5.1.3 New Sites: in total, 472 new sites were identified representing a substantialnumerical increase in the number of sites within the study area and aresummarised below (Table 1).

Period Pre-SurveyNumber

Post-SurveyNumber

NumericalIncrease

Bronze Age 3 6 3

Medieval 11 55 44

Post-medieval 8 414 406

Modern 0 7 7

Unknown 2 4 12

Total 24 496 472

Table 1: Pre- and Post-Survey Site Numbers5.1.4 Altitude range of sites: the overall site density was 13.6 sites per sqkm, which

was spread according to altitude as shown in Table 2. The greatest density of siteswas between the 400-424m OD range.

Height Range Existing Sites New Sites Total

325-349m 0 13 13



350-374m 3 40 43

375-399m 2 81 83

400-424m 6 95 101

425-449m 6 92 98

450-474m 3 47 50

475-499m 1 36 37

500-524m 1 26 27

525-549m 0 7 7

550-574m 0 9 9

575-599m 0 10 10

600-624m 0 4 4

625-649m 0 11 11

Over 650m 2 1 3

Total 24 472 496

Table 2: Pre- and Post-Survey Site Numbers with respect to altitude5.1.5 Range of site types: the sites identified from the present survey, and previously

identified within the record, fall into a broad range of 19 general types, which aredefined as shown in Table 3.

Type ExistingSites

New Sites Total

Adit, Trial Mine, Manganese Mine 2 17 19Boundary Bank, Boundary Wall, EnclosureBank, Enclosure 1 14 15

Boundary Cairn, Boundary Stone, Marker Cairn 1 36 37Bridge, Footbridge 1 3 4Building Platform, House Platform, Hut,Platform, Platform House 1 20 22

Byre, Outbuilding 1 13 14Cairn 4 5 9Clearance Cairn 0 11 11Cup Marked Stone 0 1 1Dam, Millrace, Weir 0 3 3Deserted Rural Settlement 3 4 7Dwelling, Farmhouse, Hafod, Longhouse 6 32 38Gatepost 0 2 2Hunting Lodge, Shooting Stand 0 41 41Mine Building, Wheelpit, Working Floor 0 5 5



Peat Cutting, Peat Hut, Peat Stand 1 24 25Quarry, Slate Quarry 0 11 11Road, Trackway 0 15 15Sheep Fold, Sheep Shelter, Shelter, ShepherdsShelter, Stock Enclosure 1 216 217

Total 24 472 496

Table 3: Range of Site Types5.2 PREHISTORY

5.2.1 Bronze Age: those previously discovered potentially funerary sites that weredefined within the NMR and HER as prehistoric were limited to a three potentialsummit cairns at Carnedd y Filiast (NMR 303367), Garneddwen (NMR 303172;Plate 4), Arenig Fach (NMR 303141; Plate 5) and Carnedd Iago (NMR 501500).The latter site at Carnedd Iago was found to be a probable natural mound (shownon the OS first edition mapping) along the line of a parish boundary. All of thesummit cairns previously identified had been damaged by later disturbance tosome degree, variously from antiquarian investigations, the construction ofshelters, footings of trigonometric pillars, and the construction of boundarycairns. The cairn on Arenig Fach has the potential to be a small ring-cairn with acentral hollow surrounded by a retaining wall, although this has been heavilymodified. More importantly an adjacent putative shelter/boundary cairn wasdiscussed in the Merionethshire Inventory entry for this cairn (RCAHMW 1921,No. 467) and is located some 40m to the north-west of the original cairn (NMR501747). It was found that these are in fact clearly a pair of Bronze Age summitcairns. The latter cairn is very badly damaged but survives up to 10m in diameterand is 0.6m high.

5.2.2 The current survey identified five further potentially prehistoric sites, two ofwhich are almost certainly Bronze Age funerary cairns. Both cairns are located onsmall flat south-east facing spurs of land overlooking the lowlands from thenorthern flank of the Tryweryn valley and are both sat between 420m-430m OD.The cairn at Nant yr Olchfa (NMR 501529; Plate 6) lay on a raised spur betweenthe confluence of two tributary streams. It is partially turf covered with theexposed cairn material measuring 4.5m diameter by 0.4m high and there is onepotential side slab for a cist surviving offset from the centre of the cairn. Thecairn at Clogwyn Du (NMR 501779; Plates 7 and 8) lay on a raised spur of landoverlooking sloping land running into the cwm containing Afon Gelyn and is satbeneath a ridgeline on Bryn Du. The cairn consists of a shallow turf-coveredmound measuring 9-10m in diameter by 0.25m high and has eleven kerb stonesexposed on the south and east sides. The cairn also has a probable rectangularantiquarian excavation trench dug into the northern end. A further potential cairnof unknown date and function was discovered some 115m downslope to thesouth-east of Clogwyn Du funerary cairn (NMR 501780), and although thesurrounding area was undulating, turf covered and masked by vegetation, there isthe potential for further cairns located in this area. A possible small pen-annular



enclosure of unknown date and function was recorded on the northern flank ofFfridd Craig Henllan overlooking land sloping gently down to Afon Taihirion(NMR 501572). A highly dubious possible cup-marked stone was identified nearthe summit of Carnedd y Gors-gam (NMR 501652); it consisted of a free-standing stone slab with over a hundred sub-circular indentations on it. It isprobable that the markings are geological in origin although no other comparablestones were identified in the rest of the study area.

5.2.3 Iron Age/Roman: previous field surveys had identified several putative roundhouse sites, all of which were found not to be definitive examples, but morelikely later stock management or domestic structures. Examples include singlesites at Craig y Garn (NMR 501914), Cors y Garnedd (NMR 501522) and FfriddCraig Henllan (NMR 501501). One new site consisting of a sub-circular stone-revetted platform that may potentially be a hut circle, or a building platform, wasrecorded in the current survey on the eastern end of Ffridd Uchaf in thesouth/centre of the study area.

5.3 MEDIEVAL 5.3.1 The largest proportion of sites previously discovered within the study area were

of definitively medieval date, although this still only accounted for eleven sitesoverall. The present survey has, however, identified numerous sites dating to theperiod, almost all of which are domestic sites, whether dispersed singularly or insmall settlement groups. It is also further interesting to note that the domesticsites are found on both enclosed and unenclosed areas of moorland, clearlyindicating some obvious encroachment onto the once Crown common lands. Thelargest proportion of domestic structures are located in the west end of the studyarea, particularly on the rolling craggy lands west of Arenig Fach. The opencommon lands located to the north of the B4391 contained three deserted ruralsettlements, each with domestic and ancillary structures and each clusteredadjacent to sheltered tributary streams at Carnedd y Fran (NMR 501987) and twoon Nant yr Olchfa (NMR 501506 and 501507). The unenclosed land also heldtwo dispersed house platform sites set in similar topographic locations on AfonTaihirion and Nant Gwyn (NMR 501509 and 501603). One of the most importantsettlement sites was recorded within the rough craggy enclosed lands of FfriddCraig Henllan, located to the south of the B4391 road (NMR 15491; Fig 5). Thecomplex includes examples of at least four longhouses (Plate 10) and tenhouse/building platforms. The western end of the study area contains the ffriddenclosure-covered south-facing flank of the Tryweryn valley, with domesticsettlements at the upper limits of the enclosures. There is a single hafod and agrouping of a longhouse with associated peat hut on Nant Rhos Du (NMR501624 and 501503), a building platform at Bwlch Llestrri (NMR 501691), abuilding platform and two longhouses (one with associated trackway) at Grib Las(NMR 501680, 501679, 501684 and 501683), and a longhouse near Nant yrHelfa (NMR 501717).



5.3.2 The elevated unenclosed lands in the northern half of the study area havenumerous dispersed settlement sites and single domestic structures, the lands onthe west of Cwm Gelyn hold a deserted rural settlement containing threestructures at Creigiau Bleiddiaid (NMR 501988) and a longhouse nestled againstthe Afon Trinant (NMR 501504), whilst the east side of Cwm Gelyn has alonghouse with adjacent building platform at Bryn Bras (NMR 501828 and501829) and a group of three structures at Foel Boeth, which has a least oneprobable domestic structure (NMR 501851). There are several areas of interest inthe eastern end of the study area, with three dispersed single longhouse siteslocated adjacent to tributary streams, two at Llechwedd-llyfn and Carnedd yFiliast on the elevated flanks of Brottos (NMR 501872 and 501889) and onewith a partially surrounding enclosure bank on Nant Hafod Fadog on the flank ofGarneddwen (NMR 501670 and 501671).

5.3.3 The extreme eastern end of the study area, surrounding Cwm Hesgyn, containstwo separate deserted rural settlements. The first may be related to the survivingevidence of the medieval vaccary in the cwm which was run by Ystrad Marchell(NMR 501989). The site is located on the eastern flank of the cwm but not farremoved from Afon Hesgyn in the base of it. It consists of a group of two largelonghouses and a building platform in the north of the site, which is connectedvia a long boundary bank/wall to a further longhouse structure located furthersouth and placed adjacent to the river. The surviving post-medieval farmstead ofCwm Hesgyn (NMR 501935) is somewhat elevated on the western flank of thecwm and within Ffridd Cwm Hesgyn, and may reflect a later domesticsettlement. It may reflect a continuity of use from the earlier settlement, andcould have earlier foundations, no longer exposed, or be a post-medievaloccupation independent of the earlier activity in the environs. The very south-eastern tip of the study area, around Craig y Garn, has a deserted rural settlementfringing the edge of lower enclosed lands that consists of at least two largelonghouse platforms (NMR 501508), although there are a further three putativeexamples outside the present study area. Higher up on the summit of the hill aredispersed sites, including two potential hafod and a stock enclosure (NMR501914, 501915 and 501925), and on the eastern flank of the hill are twolonghouses, one just outside the present study area and one straddling theenclosure boundary at Ffridd Maes-y-Gadfa (NMR 501922; Plate 9).

5.4 POST-MEDIEVAL/MODERN

5.4.1 Agricultural Landscape and Settlement: in total, 421 sites have been ascribed tothe post-medieval and modern periods, and form the vast majority of theidentified sites (Table 1). The sites reflect the relatively recent exploitation oflarge tracts of the open moorland and agricultural fringe lands that form thenorthern flanks of the Tryweryn valley and the isolated hills and cwms runningup to the county boundary. Many sites are attributable to dispersed agriculturalexploitation of both the enclosed fringes and the open moorland sheep walks forstock management, and comprise numerous sheep folds (a few of which aremulti-cellular in form) and shelters (up to 217 examples) scattered across the



whole study area. The large number of these features demonstrate that sheepfarming, and to some extent cattle farming, have been a major enterprise acrossthe moorland at altitude during the post-medieval period. This is reflected in thefact that the fringes of the open moorland common, have been subject toenclosure from early in this period and indeed some may have medieval manorialand monastic foundations. Many of the enclosures contain sheep folds, as well asbyres and barns, often at the upper limits of enclosure, and just a little beyond.This pattern of enclosure is evident wherever the fringe lands are enclosed on thenorthern flank of the Tryweryn valley, either side of Cwm Gelyn and on thelower reaches of Cwm Hesgyn, and on the western flank of the Mynach valley.One particularly interesting exception is where the construction of Llyn Celynreservoir has drowned the farmstead along its' northern extent whilst the ffriddenclosures above them have been planted as a coniferous windbreak. The twodefinitively post-medieval dated farmsteads consist of Taihirion in the west of thestudy area (NMR 28742) and Cwm Hesgyn in the east (NMR 501935). Theformer site was formerly Grade 2* Listed as an example of a seventeenth centurydwelling; however, the current survey found the farmhouse and outbuildingsalmost completely collapsed. The farmstead range at Cwm Hesgyn lay intactwithin its ffridd enclosure except for the easternmost cell, and appears to havebeen renovated as a holiday home.

5.4.2 Industrial Landscape: there is dispersed evidence of small-scale industrial trialextraction and quarrying at various places within the hills of the study area, alongwith a few more larger complexes where further, more extensive (althoughregionally limited), industrial activity occurred. The manganese mines proved thelargest complexes with trial levels, an adit and a large stope working chasing themineral vein at Mochowgryn (NMR 501510), and extensive workings and trialson either side of the stream at Nant yr Helfa mine (NMR 501911). Both mineshave working floors and associated huts for shelter and ore processing. Both haveutilised water power which survives in the form of large wheelpits (Plate 13) andat the latter mine there was a headrace and pillars for a launder. Other potentialsmaller complexes include a documented slate quarry on the south-east side ofTaihirion farmstead (NMR 501912), which contains four trial pits that follow thecourse of an historic routeway. Other small complexes of trial mining scoops arelocated on the summit of Carnedd y Gors-gam (NMR 501650), on PenGarneddwen/Ffridd Bach (NMR 501663 and 501664), and on Llechwedd-llyfn(NMR 501855 and 501857).

5.4.3 The second most numerous evidence for industrial activity was for extensiveareas of peat cutting. The surviving cuttings are mostly to be found in the west ofthe study area on the rolling and often deep peat-covered lands to the west ofArenig Fach. There seems to be some correlation between a cluster of cuttingsand the location of Mochowgryn manganese mine, where some cutting may relateto small-scale fuel needs at the mines; however, the majority of the cuttings arelocated on what was once the Crown common lands just above the limits of theffridd enclosures and thus reflects earlier activity for domestic farm needs.Ancillary structure associated with the cutting were identified, including apotential peat hut sat adjacent to a longhouse at Nant Rhos Ddu (NMR 501623)



and three peat stands located in the same general area (NMR 501621, 501630 and501639). Sites associated with water supply and drainage were limited to a smallweir on Afon Taihirion (NMR 501547) and the damming of Llyn Arenig Fach(NMR 501763).

5.4.4 Communications: several places within the study area held evidence forcommunication routes, mostly in the form of trackways and roads with theirassociated structures such as bridges. It is not surprising that access up into andalso through and over the hills and moorland of the study area has left obviousremains. The largest complex consists of an old packhorse route that probablyruns from Bala to Ffestiniog, and within the study area, runs along the B4391(NMR 501986). The trackway consists of at least five separate sections whichdivert from the modern road to cross the easiest fording points of tributarystreams and the least boggy areas of ground. The recorded section of trackwayruns for approximately 3km and also contains the putative 'Elizabethan' bridge atPont Taihirion (NMR 24157; Plate 11) along its course, which may point towardsthe antiquity of the route. The current bridge at Pont Taihirion (NMR 501557),which carries the B4391, has also been rebuilt, with the earlier bridge archrenovated with a superstructure that is set on a different alignment. The roadskirting the south side of the study area (A4212) was realigned and widened inthe 1960s when Llyn Celyn was constructed, and this has resulted in thepreservation of several relict sections of road. One curvilinear single track sectionof the road lies within the study area (NMR 501559), where the present road hasbeen diverted to avoid a narrow bridge crossing Afon Taihirion (NMR 501560).Further sites include an access trackway running up to Nant yr Helfa manganesemine (NMR 501745), three trackways running up into the sheepwalks on the eastside of Llyn Arenig Fach (NMR 501778, 501783 and 501793), and a circuitoustrackway surrounding the summit of Craig y Garn (NMR 501913, 501916 and501918).

5.4.5 Recreation: the study area, and in particular the area around Arenig Fach, wasused extensively as grouse shooting moorland by the Rhiwlas estate from themid-nineteenth to early twentieth centuries after the Crown commons wereacquired. Shooting stands, consisting of rectangular or linear drystone sheltersoften with adjacent paved footings are distributed widely, although in discreteclusters or lines. The groups are located particularly in the east of the study areaat Bryn Du, Pen Garneddwen, Foel Boeth, Brottos and north of Llyn Hesgyn (Fig6). In their simplest form the stands are identical to small sheep shelters, and assuch, may be interchangeable in form and function. It is clear that some, if notmany, sites identified as sheep shelters were also used as shooting stands, inparticular the large collection forming a linear group within the fenced enclosureon Bryn Bras. At least seven sites, forming rectangular hut structures, may relateto temporary daytime accommodation/shelter as hunting lodges adjacent to theshooting grounds. The limits of the Rhiwlas shooting estate lands in the uplandare demarcated to the north by the current county boundary, and along theboundary there are many boundary stones, some of which were slate slabsmarked 'RP 1866' (Plate 12). Further boundary marker cairns were located on thesummits of many hills within the study area and several patterns of land division



can be seen, in particular a line linking Carnedd y Fran, Mochowgryn, Y Foel andFfridd Maes-y-tail, and a V-shaped boundary running between CarneddLlechwedd-llyfn, Foel-boeth and Carnedd y Filiast.



6. CONCLUSION

6.1 LANDSCAPE DEVELOPMENT

6.1.1 The survey has identified a moderately high density of sites distributedthroughout the study area, most of which were associated with post-medievalstock management, agriculture and habitation, although there were alsoconcentrations of sites associated with extractive industries and grouse shooting.Previous surveys have highlighted a relatively small number of sites whilst thepresent survey has increased the number of already identified monuments withinthe NMR/HER by 2066%.

6.1.2 Bronze Age: the evidence for the period is limited to a relatively lowconcentration of funerary monuments within the study area (Plate 4). They are forthe most part summit cairns that form a loose pattern of funerary practice that isfound throughout the surrounding region such as on the Hiraethog Moors (Lynch1995, 31-32; OA North 2003; 2005a) and the Tanat Valley (OA North 2004).New sites were limited to less readily observable examples of round cairns, withanother example (which now forms a pair) on the summit of Arenig Fach (NMR501747). The cairn already recorded on the summit of Arenig Fach (NMR303141; Plate 5) may possibly be a ring cairn and, as such, is a relatively rareexample in the region, although such sites have been found in similar locations inthe Berwyn Mountains and Hiraethog moors (OA North 2005b; Lynch 1995, 32;Lynch 1993) and in the valley to the north-east of Bala (Lynch 1995, 61). Twofurther new round cairns were identified (one kerbed) that both mirrored eachother in terms of topographic location on small spurs of land, and in altitude andaspect overlooking the Tryweryn valley (NMR 501529 and 501779; Plates 6-8)6.1.3 Medieval: the study area was exploited during the period for its naturalresources, hunting and moorland grazing as part of the Forest of Snowdonand the mountains formed suitable areas for both legal and illegalencroachment of ffridd enclosures in the late medieval period. Theestablishment of transhumant hafod- style settlement and agriculture wasfollowed by the enclosing of ffridd enclosures which coalesced as a band ofdispersed pioneer settlement on the fringes of the uplands with permanentenclosure and homesteading on pockets of cultivable soil (Beverly-Smith andBeverly-Smith 2001, 211). The upland pastures were exploited by themanor, monastic houses and illegal squatters; there are documented vaccariesand granges within the region and the surveyed evidence of deserted ruralsettlements and isolated longhouses found throughout the study area (Plates9 and 10). The abbey of Ystrad Marchell (Strata Marcella) held a grange/vaccaryin Cwm Hesgyn in Llanycil parish (ibid), which is an isolated narrowupland valley within the eastern end of the study area. The holding may relate tothe present Cwm Hesgyn farmstead (NMR 501935) although it is more likely torelate to a deserted rural settlement located on the valley side at Ffridd Bwlch-graianog (NMR 501989). Evidence of later medieval squatter enclosure and



steading may be reflected in the lands around Taihirion (the 'longhouse') onthe western end of the survey area (NMR 28742) and further to the south atFfridd Craig Henllan deserted rural settlement (NMR 15491; Fig 5).

6.1.4 Post-Medieval/Modern Agriculture and Settlement: the remains of post-medieval agriculture make up the vast majority of sites within the study area, andare predominantly stock management features on the unenclosed moorlandsheepwalks and down into the enclosed fringe lands (421 sites). There was also acontinuation of expansion of settlement and enclosure out from the valley floorreflected in the encroachment of the moorland. This is particularly marked on thesouthern and eastern fringe lands and up into the lower reaches of the cwms thatextend down from the ridgeline through the north of the study area. There areonly a few ruinous farmsteads/cottages located in the study area, and these areassociated with enclosure field systems, and reflect marginal farming (eg CwmHesgyn). This pattern is skewed by the limits of the study area as the majority ofpost-medieval farmsteads, both extant and ruinous, lay just below the lower limitsof the study area (in particular within Cwm Gelyn). There is, however, ampleevidence for barns, byres, folds and other ancillary structures on the upper limitsof the ffridd enclosures within the study area.

6.1.5 Post-Medieval Industry: industry within the study area is limited in extent butdoes have the two speculative manganese mines at Mochowgryn and Nant yrHelfa where adits and stopes are surrounded by widespread trial workings. Eachmine had a working floor with buildings and power/drainage provided by a largewater wheel (Plate 13). Further sites include many singular trial levels and slatetrials, and a possible slate quarry documented on the south side of Taihirion.Extensive areas of peat cutting were also recorded during the present survey, inparticular located in the western half of the study area.

6.1.6 Recreation and Communications: the open hills and moorland of the study area has formed part of the extensive grouse shooting holdings of the Rhiwlas estate since the land was acquired from the Crown in 1864. The land is demarcated to the north along the county boundary by boundary stones, many of which have been inscribed (Plate 12). There are several discrete clusters of shooting standsrecorded during the present survey that were located on the hillsides, oftenbeneath hill crests or adjacent to standing or running water and with attendantnearby lodges/huts (Fig 6).

6.1.7 Access up onto the sheepwalks has required the construction of various sinuous trackways, many of which could have also served upland settlement or as access to peat cutting areas. The largest trackway/communication route is in the form of a sunken packhorse track (recorded for 3km in the west of the study area) which runs along the side of the B4391 and would have formed the moorland route fromBala to Ffestiniog. The trackway utilises a putative 'Elizabethan' single span arched bridge at Taihirion which may suggest the longevity of the route (Plate 11).



6.2 SITE VISIBILITY

6.2.1 The identification of surviving archaeological sites within the study area has to agreater or lesser extent been dictated by the topography and current groundconditions. This is particularly important when we see the relative paucity ofdatable prehistoric sites within the study area. This may relate at the first mostsuperficial level to sites being masked by current ground vegetation, be it gorseand tall grass, or most importantly heather which covers a large proportion ofwhat once was Rhiwlas Estate shooting land (Fig 6). More importantly peatformation has been particularly prevalent in most parts of the survey area, inparticular the rolling lands to the west of Arenig Fach and most of the landsadjacent to streams, rivers and on the flatter, sheltered shelves of hills reaching upto the county boundary. Prehistoric sites are limited primarily to prominentsummit funerary cairns (Fig 7); however, two less elevated cairns were found onsmall spurs of land, and both monuments were seen to be emerging from beneaththe peat or relict peaty soils (Plates 6-8). This evidence points to the fact thatpotentially other monuments, or even whole landscapes, may survive buriedbeneath the peat in many parts of the study area where the features are not ofsufficient prominence to be exposed through the peat. The cairn at Clogwyn Du(Plates 7 and 8) lies near to an area of undulating and vegetation-masked groundwhich may contain further cairn/clearance material, and could point to settlement,but this interpretation could not be resolved during the present survey.

6.2.2 Similarly, no direct evidence for later prehistoric settlement was identified duringthe present survey, and again peat formation within the sheltered areas of thestudy area, allied with extensive use and re-use of certain isolated locales in laterperiods, may mask evidence for this period. It may also be the case that settlementin early periods was located within the lower lying land outside of the study areaon the lower slopes and valley floor. Again peat formation has been particularlysignificant within the lowlands of the Tryweryn valley in areas that even today donot provide good quality cultivable land after improvement/drainage. In addition,the construction of the reservoir at Llyn Celyn may have masked settlement sites.There may be a band of land running below the 300m OD contour delimiting thebottom edge of the study area, and above the peat-covered valley bottom, whichcontains the likeliest visible locations for early settlement; however, these havenot been investigated, and they may have been damaged by post-medievalcultivation. The apparent absence of prehistoric remains may, of course be anactual absence, and again the presence of early peat deposition may havediscouraged agricultural activity and therefore have contributed to a landscapelargely devoid of early settlement remains.

6.2.3 The evidence of medieval settlement has shown that rectilinear stone-foundedand/or platformed domestic structures are relatively abundant within the studyarea (Fig 8). What has been highlighted is that several of the structures, wherethey are located on shallow sloping land rather than being cut into the steephillsides are partially covered by peat. Post-medieval activity is extensive acrossthe upland landscapes, and the notable characteristic of the remains of this period



is that they are often established on top of the peat, and therefore their sitevisibility is not affected by it.

6.2.4 The overall effect of the extensive peat deposition would appear to be reflect anartificial bias within the archaeological landscape towards the later periods, andthe identification of sites of earlier periods is necessarily skewed by limited sitevisibility.



7. RECOMMENDATIONS

7.1 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER WORK

7.1.1 It is recommended that investigation in the form of palynological sampling, peatcoring and lake sedimentary analysis be undertaken within the study area.Sampling should take place in the boggy areas on the western limits of the studyarea to the west and south-west of Mochowgryn and sampling should also takeplace adjacent to, and within, the small lakes at Llyn Arenig Fach and LlynHesgyn, as deserted rural settlements, longhouses and funerary cairns lie near tothese areas. This would not provide an absolute chronology for the sites, butpalynological work from peat adjacent to the sites would be able to determineperiods of agricultural, and, more specifically, arable activity in the vicinity of thesites.

7.1.2 It is recommended that a programme of targeted geophysical investigation beundertaken to identify the sub-surface archaeological resource beneath the peat(Section 6.1.7). Investigation could be undertaken either on the lower ground tothe south of the funerary cairn at Nant yr Olchfa (Fig 7; Plate 6) or on theundulating ground located to the south-east of the cairn at Clogwyn Ddu/BrynDdu (Plates 7 and 8).

7.1.3 Detailed topographic survey and documentary analysis could be profitablyundertaken on the manganese mines at Mochowgryn and Nant yr Helfa and anyof the deserted rural settlements, and the complex at Ffridd Craig Henllan inparticular (Fig 5). Likewise, a detailed survey should be undertaken of all of thesummit cairns, the putative ring cairn on Arenig Fach and the two new funerarycairns in the west of the study area. Detailed topographic survey could elucidatethe relationship between the component parts of site complexes and, for singlesites, could identify their function, period of use and their potential for continuityinto later periods.



8. BIBLIOGRAPHY

8.1 PRIMARY SOURCES

Garfi, S, 2007, Llyn Celyn 2008, Digital Air Photograph Mapping, RCAHMW, unpubldoc.Gwynedd Archives, Meirionnydd Record Office (GAS DAO)

Rhiwlas Estate:Z/DDD/1/88 Particulars of expenditure on Rhiwlas Shoots at Defaidty, Caefadog, andArenig Bach Moors, Home Covers, Berwyn and Creini, 1911-1912Z/DDD/1/191 Schedule (copy) of wastes and encroachments in pas. Llanycil, Llanfawrand Llandderfel, 1863Z/DDD/1/195 Particulars of Arenig Bach Shooting, Bala, no date

Z/DDD/1/200 Schedule of shootings, rabbit warrens and woodlands and other propertieson the Rhiwlas Estate, including acreage and rent, no date

Z/DDD/1/222 Schedule of the Tryweryn Valley, Rhydyfen and Arenig Estate nr. Bala,no date

Z/DDD/6/1 Map of Crown lands bought by Mr Price, 18th Oct 1864Z/DDD/6/68 Plan of Taihirion, pa. Llanycil, no date

Z/DDD/6/88 Plan of [sheepwalk] claimed by Amnodd Wen and Penbryn Mawr in theCapel Celyn area, no date

8.2 PUBLISHED CARTOGRAPHIC SOURCES

British Geological Survey, 1994 Geological map of Wales: Solid, 1:250,000Landmark digital copies of 1st epoc Ordnance Survey 6” and 25” mapping 1889-91

Landmark digital copies of 2nd epoc Ordnance Survey 6” and 25” mapping 1900-01 Landmark digital copies of 4th epoc Ordnance Survey 6” mapping 1953-54

(Provided by RCAHMW) Soil Survey, 1983 Soils of England and Wales, Sheet 2, Wales, 1:250,000, Soil Surveyof England and Wales

8.3 SECONDARY SOURCES

Awdry, C, 1990 Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies, London

Beverley-Smith, J, and Beverly-Smith, L (eds), 2001 History of Merioneth, Volume II:The Middle Ages, Cardiff



Bowen, EG, and Gresham, CA (eds), 1967 History of Merioneth, Volume I: From theEarliest Times to the Age of the Native Princes, Dolgellau

Cadw/CCW/ICOMOS, 1998 Register of Landscapes of Special Historic Interest inWales : HLW (GW) 16 Bala , Cardiff

Davies, E, 1973, Hendre and Hafod in Merioneth, J Merioneth Hist Record Soc, 7.1, 13-27

English Heritage, 1991 Management of Archaeological Projects, 2nd edn, London Evans, ED, 2005 The Forest of Snowdon in Merioneth: A Futile Search, J MerionethHist Record Soc, 14.4, 282-90GAT, 2006 Historic Landscape Characterisation – Bala, Llyn Tegid, Development of theEstates, (http://www.heneb.co.uk/balaandlakeside/balahlcintro/estates.html) websiteaccessed 16/07/2008

Gibberd, F, nd The Landscaping of Reservoirs, journal article held in NMRGurdon, J, 1960 From Mountain Valley to City Reservoir, Country Life, 11th August,271-4Linton, D, nd Merioneth Manganese, (http://www.davel.f2s.com/hendrecoed/Merioneth-Manganese/) website accessed 15/07/2008Lynch, F, 1993 Excavations in the Brenig Valley – A Mesolithic and Bronze AgeLandscape in North Wales, BangorLynch, F, 1995 A guide to Ancient and Historic Wales: Gwynedd, Cardiff

Neville George, T, and Smith, B, 1961 British Regional Geology: North Wales, 3rdedition, London

OA North, 2002 Survey Levels, unpubl docOA North, 2003 Uplands Initiative Field Projects 2002-3: Mynydd Hiraethog SurveyArea, unpubl rep

OA North, 2004 Uplands Initiative Field Projects 2003-4: Dyffryn Tanat Survey Area,unpubl repOA North, 2005a Uplands Initiative Field Projects 2004-5: Mynydd Hiraethog (NorthEast) Survey Area, unpubl repOA North, 2005b Uplands Initiative Field Projects 2004-5: North Berwyn (North)Survey Area, unpubl repOA North, 2007 Upland Initiative Field Projects 2008-09: Project Design, unpubl doc

Owen, TM, 1975 Historical aspects of peat-cutting in Merioneth, J Merioneth HistRecord Soc, 7.2, 308-321

Price, RJL, 1899 The History of Rulace, or Rhiwlas; Ruedok, or Rhiwaedog; Bala, itsLake; The Valley of the Dee River; and much more of Merionethshire and Countiesadjacent thereto, London



RCAHMW, 1921 An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire:Vol VI Merionethshire, London

RCAHMW, 2004 Revised Data Standard for Upland Survey: for Projects ConductedApril 2005 to March 2006, unpubl doc

RCAHMW, 2007 The Uplands Initiative: Invitation to bid for the 2008/2009programme of archaeological survey, unpubl doc

Thomas, C, 1967 Merioneth Estates, 1790-1858: A study in agrarian geography, Journalof the Merioneth Historical and Record Society, 5.3, 221-237

UKIC, 1990 United Kingdom Institute for conservation: Guidelines for the preparationof archives for long-term storage

Wilkinson, J, 2003 Gazetteer and Bibliography of the Mines and Quarries of NorthWales, (http://www.hendrecoed.org.uk/Wilkinson/) website accessed 15/07/2008



APPENDIX 1: GAZETTEER OF NEW SITES

NPRN NGR TYPE PERIOD ALTITUDE

15491 SH8047039207 Deserted Rural Settlement Medieval 435

24157 SH 8034539816 Bridge Post-medieval 375

28742 SH 8105039720 Dwelling Post-medieval 380

303141 SH 8206341623 Cairn Bronze Age 680



501500 SH 7826340522 Cairn Unknown 520

501501 SH 8042239202 Platform House Medieval 420

501502 SH 8042039230 Platform House Medieval 420

501503 SH 8121240181 Longhouse Medieval 420


501505 SH 7909040852 Hafod Medieval 435

501506 SH 7970040245 Deserted Rural Settlement Medieval 405



501509 SH 8038240219 Peat Cutting Post-medieval 440

501510 SH 8065040300 Manganese Mine Post-medieval 440




501514 SH 7826840651 Gate Post Post-medieval 535



501517 SH 7887840328 Shelter Post-medieval 460

501518 SH 7891240321 Enclosure Post-medieval 455




501519 SH 7890340345 Sheep Fold Post-medieval 460




501523 SH 7887640647 Sheep Shelter Post-medieval 460


501525 SH 7900940860 Enclosure Post-medieval 440

501526 SH 7904940883 Boundary Cairn Unknown 440


501528 SH 7911240887 Outbuilding Post-medieval 435






















501547 SH 7985440337 Weir Post-medieval 385





501552 SH 7943140287 Stock Enclosure Post-medieval 410



501555 SH 7979339703 Trackway Post-medieval 410


501557 SH 8042739788 Bridge Post-medieval 380


501559 SH 8100139314 Road Post-medieval 350

501560 SH 8097739324 Bridge Modern 345

501561 SH 8060538616 Boundary Wall Post-medieval 395

501562 SH 8054438699 Byre Post-medieval 410



501565 SH 8061138881 Shepherds Shelter Post-medieval 405










501572 SH 8058739364 Enclosure Unknown 380











501583 SH 8051139175 Building Platform Medieval 405











501594 SH 7934239430 Hunting Lodge Post-medieval 435






501597 SH 7966639638 Quarry Post-medieval 420


501599 SH 7973341016 House Platform Medieval 395


501601 SH 7978941276 Boundary Stone Post-medieval 395


501603 SH 8033241418 House Platform Medieval 420





501608 SH 8137539462 Trial Mine Post-medieval 360

501609 SH 8114039357 Clearance Cairn Modern 340












501621 SH 8107440351 Peat Stand Post-medieval 435





501623 SH 8119440170 Peat Hut Post-medieval 420











501634 SH 8114139906 Footbridge Post-medieval 405






501640 SH 8050740475 Shooting Stand Post-medieval 455

501641 SH 8067740307 Mine Building Post-medieval 430

501642 SH 8068740296 Wheelpit Post-medieval 430

501643 SH 8067140286 Mine Building Post-medieval 430



501646 SH 8060740726 Boundary Cairn Unknown 496






501649 SH 8124141684 Boundary Cairn Post-medieval 520



501652 SH 8126441612 Cup Marked Stone Unknown 510














501666 SH 8654241422 Boundary Bank Post-medieval 415




501670 SH 8723441394 Boundary Bank Medieval 420
















501683 SH 8205040126 Trackway Medieval 445




501687 SH 8226440037 Cairnfield Unknown 405


501689 SH 8204539982 Clearance Cairn Unknown 405










501699 SH 8181139773 Clearance Cairn Post-medieval 385


















501714 SH 8283540220 Adit Post-medieval 390




























501739 SH 8348740302 Building Platform Post-medieval 415



501742 SH 8303540113 Mill Race Post-medieval 365

501743 SH 8303540087 Wheelpit Post-medieval 390

501744 SH 8304240083 Working Floor Post-medieval 360














501755 SH 8495341968 Hut Post-medieval 355






501761 SH 8346841315 Cairn Post-medieval 485


501763 SH 8275242032 Dam Post-medieval 455









501772 SH 8316 22836 Sheep Fold Post-medieval 350











501780 SH 8388141462 Cairn Unknown 410





501785 SH 8349041642 House Platform Post-medieval 440







































501821 SH 8489542903 House Platform Post-medieval 405

































501851 SH 8606342672 Building Platform Unknown 480





















501869 SH 8619243743 Platform Post-medieval 590





501874 SH 8644443314 Platform Post-medieval 565































501902 SH 8748242422 Gate Post Post-medieval 490












501911 SH 8307140127 Manganese Mine Post-medieval 370

501912 SH 8126839503 Slate Quarry Post-medieval 365

501913 SH 8959841006 Trackway Unknown 380


501915 SH 8949941276 Enclosure Unknown 445


501917 SH 8942441230 Marker Cairn Post-medieval 460








501925 SH 8928841411 Hafod Unknown 440













501935 SH 8820341877 Farmhouse Post-medieval 380




































501968 SH 8967644900 Enclosure Bank Post-medieval 480





















ILLUSTRATIONS

Figure 1: Location of Study area

Figure 2: Llyn Celyn Study areaFigure 3: Site distribution showing both pre- and post-survey sites (East)

Figure 4: Site distribution showing both pre- and post-survey sites (West)Figure 5: Site distribution at Ffridd Craig Henllan deserted rural settlement (NMR

15491)Figure 6: Nineteenth Century Rhiwlas Estate landholdings and probable shooting

featuresFigure 7: Probable prehistoric period sites

Figure 8: Probable medieval period sites



PLATES

Plate 1: The mountainous moorland on the west end of Llyn Celyn study areaPlate 2: A view of the western end of Llyn Celyn

Plate 3: The landscape around Taihirion farmstead and the B4391 running through thestudy area

Plate 4: Garneddwen Cairn (NMR 303172), looking eastPlate 5: Arenig Fach Cairn II (NMR 303141), looking north-east

Plate 6: Nant yr Olchfa Cairn (NMR 501529, looking east towards Arenig FachPlate 7: Clogwyn Du Cairn I (NMR 501779), looking north-east

Plate 8: Clogwyn Du Cairn I (NMR 501779), looking north-westPlate 9: Craig y Garn Longhouse III (NMR 501922), looking east

Plate 10: Craig Henllan Longhouse (NMR 501566), looking north-eastPlate 11: Pont Taihirion (NMR 24157), looking east

Plate 12: Example of a slate county boundary stone presumably erected by theRhiwlas estate in 1866 (NMR 501842)

Plate 13: Wheelpit (NMR 501743) surviving at Nant yr Helfa Manganese Mine


Plate 1: The mountainous moorland at the west end of Llyn Celyn study area

Plate 2: A view of the western end of Llyn Celyn

Plate 3: The landscape around Taihirion farmstead and the B4391 running through thestudy area

Plate 4: Garneddwen Cairn (NMR 303172), looking east.

Plate 5: Arenig Fach Cairn II (NMR 303141), looking north-east

Plate 6: Nant yr Olchfa Cairn (NMR 501529), looking east towards Arenig Fach

Plate 7: Clogwyn Du Cairn I (NMR 501779), looking north-east

Plate 8: Clogwyn Du Cairn I (NMR 501779), looking north-west

Plate 9: Craig y Garn Longhouse III (NMR 501922), looking east

Plate 10: Craig Henllan Longhouse (NMR 501566), looking north-east

Plate 11: Pont Taihirion (NMR 24157), looking east

Plate 12: Example of a slate county boundary stone presumably erected by the Rhiwlas estate in 1866 (NMR 501842)

Plate 13: Wheelpit (NMR 501743) surviving at Nant yr Helfa Manganese Mine

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