Twyn y Gaer Iron Age Hillfort

is nearby.

The name is Welsh and means twyn/hill and y/the and gaer /fort. Twyn y Gaer / the fort's hill.

The Iron Age dates from c.600 B.C. to the Roman invasion of 43 A.D. The people in this area were the Silures (Herefordshire area were the Dobunni). As farmers they needed defended sites to protect themselves and their animals, using surrounding fields to graze sheep and some cattle, for growing crops and the woods for pigs.

• There are 3 Iron Age Hillforts here: Twyn y Gaer, Pentwyn (pen/head, top) and Walterstone.
• Alan Probert excavated at Walterstone 1965‐1980 and found the ditches were cut into the underlying rock, very time consuming work that shows how necessary it was to have huge ramparts and ditches. Between the hillforts there were other farms but people could run to the hillforts when raiders came.
• Alan discovered flint tools, slag and crucibles to manufacture iron, and a spearhead. Quern stones showed cereals were made into flour, back‐breaking work that took hours every day. Spindle whorls showed sheep wool was laboriously spun to make woven clothes. However, they also had brooches, glass beads, and pottery made near Malvern, so traders visited no doubt bringing news as well.
• Finally, in its last use, fewer buildings were needed, so another internal rampart was constructed to enclose a new farmhouse. Perhaps family members had moved away or died, but those left still needed protection for themselves and their animals and crop harvest. At least warfare, while fierce, was short. The lack of a reliable internal water supply meant no sieges. The Romans changed everything but they did not come here.
• When you look around, enjoying the glorious views, spare a thought for those Silurians who lived here for so long, and loved their home so much, that they cut into the rock with pickaxes to defend it.
• For more information, a plan and photograph see: here