Y Daith Gerdded Fawr Gymreig – Comin Gelligaer: Trysordy Archaeolegol 14 Mai, 11am–3pm

Comin Gelligaer yw un o’r tirweddau archaeolegol mwyaf hynod yng Nghymru a rhoddir sylw iddo yn Archaeoleg Ucheldir Gwent/Archaeology of the Gwent Uplands gan Frank Olding, cyfrol ddwyieithog o eiddo’r Comisiwn Brenhinol a gyhoeddir eleni. Ar Ddydd Sadwrn, 14 Mai, bydd David Leighton, uwch archaeolegydd y Comisiwn, yn arwain taith dywys addysgiadol a diddorol drwy’r rhostir llwm ond prydferth hwn. Fel rhan o Daith Gerdded Fawr Gymreig Ramblers Cymru, a gynhelir bob blwyddyn drwy gydol mis Mai, bydd cerddwyr yn gallu mynd ar daith bum milltir o hyd i weld safleoedd sy’n dyddio o’r cyfnod cynhanesyddol hyd at yr Oesoedd Canol. Taith gerdded weddol hawdd yw hon a dylai gymryd tua phedair awr i’w chwblhau, gan gynnwys seibiant ar gyfer cinio. Mae’r comin yn ficrocosm o archaeoleg cymoedd de Cymru cyn y Chwyldro Diwydiannol.

Ar hyd y ffordd, un o’r safleoedd mwyaf diddorol a welwch fydd y Garreg Arysgrifedig Gristnogol Gynnar ar Gefn Gelligaer sy’n fwy na 2.5m o hyd. Ar un adeg yr oedd arysgrif ger gwaelod wyneb gogleddol y garreg a oedd yn darllen NEFROIHI - “carreg Nía-Froích” - a oedd, o bosibl, yn coffáu rhyfelwr o Wyddel, ac sy’n dyddio’n ôl i ddiwedd y chweched neu ddechrau’r seithfed ganrif. Y cyntaf i wneud cofnod o’r garreg hon oedd Edward Lhuyd ym 1693, ond ni ellir gweld yr arysgrif bellach. Byddwn wedyn yn symud ymlaen i weld yr anheddiad canoloesol a elwir yn Ddinas Noddfa. Cafodd y safle hwn ei gloddio yn y 1930au dan oruchwyliaeth y Foneddiges Aileen Fox. Byddwn hefyd yn ymweld â nifer o garneddau cylchog o’r Oes Efydd, gan gynnwys carnedd gylchog ysblennydd Carn y Bugail sy’n mesur 19.5m (o’r dwyrain i’r gorllewin) wrth 15.8m. Mae wedi’i gosod o fewn ymylfaen o slabiau enfawr sy’n gogwyddo tuag allan ac mae piler triongli Arolwg Ordnans wedi’i godi arni. Yn y ddeunawfed ganrif a’r bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg cafodd “esgyrn ac yrnau” a thair cistfaen gyfochrog eu darganfod yma.

Yng nghwmni staff eraill y Comisiwn Brenhinol, gan gynnwys Richard Suggett, ein hanesydd pensaernïol, bydd David Leighton yn cynnig ei arbenigedd hanesyddol ar hyd y ffordd ac yn rhannu’r cyfoeth o wybodaeth a gasglodd yn ystod y blynyddoedd lawer a dreuliodd fel cydlynydd prosiect llwyddiannus y Comisiwn ar uwchdiroedd Cymru. Mae’r daith yn argoeli bod yn brofiad difyr iawn i gerddwyr o bob oed ac yn gyfle prin i ddarganfod mwy am yr hanes sydd o’n cwmpas ymhob man!

Y man cyfarfod ar gyfer y daith yw maes parcio Canolfan Ymwelwyr Parc Cwm Darran: NGR SO11360345.

Bydd llawer o’r safleoedd a welir ar y daith yn cael sylw yn Archaeoleg Ucheldir Gwent/Archaeology of the Gwent Uplands gan Frank Olding, cyfrol ddwyieithog a gyhoeddir gan y Comisiwn Brenhinol. Caiff ei lansio yn yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol yn y Fenni ar Ddydd Iau, 4 Awst, yn y Babell Lle Hanes am 2pm.

Mae ychydig o leoedd ar y daith yn dal ar gael. I gael manylion pellach ac i gadw’ch lle cysylltwch â nicola.roberts@cbhc.gov.uk.
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Golwg o Garreg Arysgrifedig Cefn Gelligaer o’r de-ddwyrain
NPRN: 305944, DS2015_143_001

Awyrlun yn dangos llwyfan tŷ canoloesol ar Gomin Gelligaer
NPRN: 15319, DD2015_009_132

Carn y Bugail: Maen capan
NPRN: 301283, DS2016_005_003

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Darganfyddwch Darddiad Afon Wysg ar Daith Gerdded Fawr Gymreig y Comisiwn Brenhinol, 9 Mai 2015

Cymylau isel yn y mynyddoedd lle mae tarddiad Afon Wysg.

Yn dilyn llwyddiant taith gerdded y llynedd o Fan Llia i Fan Dringarth a arweiniwyd gan y Comisiwn Brenhinol fel rhan o Daith Gerdded Fawr Gymreig Cerddwyr Cymru, a gynhelir bob blwyddyn drwy gydol mis Mai, mae taith gyffrous arall wedi’i threfnu ar gyfer eleni mewn partneriaeth â Cadw a Cherddwyr Cymru. Ar Ddydd Sadwrn, 9 Mai bydd ein huwch archaeolegydd David Leighton yn arwain taith gerdded ddiddorol a difyr ar hyd rhannau uchaf Afon Wysg mor bell â’i tharddiad (o dan glogwyni Fan Brycheiniog a Bannau Sir Gaer), ac ochr ddwyreiniol bellaf y Mynydd Du. Bydd y daith gerdded gylchol hon, 11 km o hyd, yn cychwyn o’r ardal parcio a phicnic ym Mhont ar Wysg yn SN82002715. Yna byddwn yn dringo’n araf i 2000 o droedfeddi uwchlaw lefel y môr ac yn gweld amrywiaeth o safleoedd o’r cyfnodau cynhanesyddol, Rhufeinig, canoloesol a diweddarach. Ar hyd y daith fe welwn olygfeydd syfrdanol o Barc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog, carneddau claddu o’r Oes Efydd, olion gwersyll cyrch Rhufeinig a hyd yn oed gorlan ddefaid fawr o’r bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg gyda’i hadrannau niferus. Yng nghwmni staff eraill y Comisiwn Brenhinol, gan gynnwys yr hanesydd pensaernïol Richard Suggett, bydd David Leighton yn cynnig ei arbenigedd hanesyddol ar hyd y ffordd, gan rannu’r cyfoeth o wybodaeth sydd ganddo am ardaloedd uwchdirol ar ôl treulio blynyddoedd lawer yn cydlynu Prosiect Uwchdiroedd llwyddiannus y Comisiwn Brenhinol. Mae’n argoeli bod yn ddiwrnod gwych allan i gerddwyr brwd o bob oedran a chyfle prin i ddarganfod mwy am yr hanes sydd o’n cwmpas ym mhob man!

Mae lleoedd ar gyfer y daith yn dal ar gael, er nad oes llawer ar ôl. I gael manylion pellach ac i drefnu’ch lle cysylltwch â nicola.roberts@cbhc.gov.uk.

Fel rhan o ddathliadau pen-blwydd y Cerddwyr yn 80 oed, bydd y Daith Gerdded Fawr Gymreig eleni yn fwy nag erioed! I gael mwy o fanylion, ewch i’w gwefan yn http://www.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking/big-welsh-walk.aspx.

I weld rhestr o’r teithiau cerdded treftadaeth sy’n cael eu trefnu gan Cadw, ewch i’r dudalen ddigwyddiadau ar eu gwefan: http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/events/?lang=en.

Merlod a chylch meini yn Nyffryn Wysg uchaf: un o’r safleoedd ar y daith.

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Walking into history – completion of the fieldwork stage of the Welsh Uplands Archaeology Initiative

Peter Schofield and Hannah Leighton from Oxford Archaeology North (OAN), on fieldwork in Snowdonia with David Leighton (centre) of the Royal Commission.

Field archaeologists have been making history by completing the final surveys in the 28-year long Uplands Archaeology Initiative.

The Uplands Archaeology Initiative has been in progress since 1987, and sponsored by the Royal Commission since 1991. Wales is essentially an upland country and this project is a programme of archaeological investigation designed to promote a wider and deeper understanding of Welsh upland heritage through survey, research and publication. Its core activity has been the exploration of upland above about 244m (800 ft) with teams of archaeologists recording sites and monuments they find there.

Exploration has focused on the unimproved moorland component of the Welsh landscape. Although some parts had previously been investigated to a greater or lesser degree and monuments identified, no systematic programme of reconnaissance had been carried out and vast areas remained entirely unexamined. This immense exploratory stage of the project draws to a close this year. By the end of March 2015 a little more than 2500 km2 of moorland will have been surveyed since the inception of the project. This work has taken place in all weathers, in some of the most exposed and extreme environments in Wales.

The final surveys are now being completed and the last covers upland to the south of Trawsfynydd, around Craig Aberserw in the Snowdonia National Park. Fieldwork here is being carried out by Peter Schofield and Hannah Leighton from Oxford Archaeology North (OAN), one of several organisations to have participated regularly in the project, through grant aid, over many years. OAN has now spent nine seasons working in the project in the uplands of North Wales since 2002. They have investigated 350 km2 of moorland and recorded some 4500 sites and monuments.

Hannah Leighton from Oxford Archaeology North (OAN) making a detailed record of an abandoned cottage settlement on moorland near Trawsfynydd.

Peter and Hannah have been looking at a broad range of ancient structures including abandoned settlements, burnt mounds, burial monuments, old peat workings and sheepfolds, many of which were entirely unknown. This diversity is typical of upland environments which are generally conducive to monument survival. By the close of this season it is anticipated that the entire programme of exploration will have resulted in the recording of around 42,000 previously unrecorded archaeological features, and the updating and enhancement of existing records for about 6000 more.

This dataset is a rich resource of information on past land use in the Welsh uplands. The Royal Commission will now begin to examine the legacy and achievements of this long running project. The future analysis of nearly three decades of survey data should lead to a deeper and richer understanding of the part played by the uplands in the history and culture of Wales.

By David Leighton

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Uplands Dayschool 2014 at Sennybridge Training Area, Powys

This year’s Royal Commission Uplands Archaeology Forum and Dayschool, on the theme of Upland Military Landscapes in Wales, was held at Sennybridge Training Area in Powys, in collaboration with the Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust (CPAT) and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO). The requisitioning of the upland landscape of Mynydd Epynt, or the Sennybridge Training Area, and its military stewardship since the second world war, unwittingly preserved a massive block of upland Wales against the effects of post-war and recent farming methods and upland improvement, making the range a haven for preserved landscape archaeology. For this reason it was fitting to hold our 2014 dayschool and fieldtrip in this remarkable upland landscape.
 

Delegates outside the Epynt Visitor Centre with Major Eddie Mahoney, Commandant of Sennybridge Training Area.

The event was held over two days. On Friday 9th May we held our dayschool of talks at the Red Kite Centre in Sennybridge Camp. The day was opened by Colonel Richard Howard-Gash, Commander Wales and West, and Major (retired) Eddie Mahoney, Commandant of Sennybridge Camp, who briefed 50 assembled delegates on the requirements of the training estate. The programme began with a talk by Richard Osgood, the Senior Archaeologist for the DIO, about archaeological priorities for the UK training estate. This was followed by papers from the past year’s archaeological walkover surveys funded by the Royal Commission’s Uplands Archaeology Initiative. Over lunch delegates had a rare opportunity to view preserved Prisoner of War (PoW) alpine scenes painted on the Cookhouse walls in the mid 1940s.

Delegates admiring in-situ Prisoner of War alpine murals on the walls of the Cookhouse at Sennybridge Camp.

The afternoon saw a splendid range of talks on the theme of Upland Military Landscapes in Wales with papers by Dr Bob Silvester and Jeff Spencer (CPAT), Jon Berry (Cadw), archaeologist Dr Stephen Briggs, military historian Mark Kahn, and Dr Bob Johnston from the University of Sheffield. On the following day, two minibuses of delegates braved the sunshine and showers on Mynydd Epynt to see how the military stewardship of this block of upland moorland has preserved prehistoric, medieval and twentieth-century sites.

Experiencing typical Epynt weather on the Saturday field trip at Hirllwyn enclosure, a scheduled ancient monument protected from military activity by a ‘no digging’ star.

By kind permission of the Commandant, we were able to visit famous sites of the Epynt, like the enigmatic defended enclosure at Clawdd British, together with relatively recent discoveries of national importance like Pant y Blodau medieval deserted settlement, and twentieth-century military monuments including drainage culverts built by German and Italian Prisoner of War. A highlight of the trip was a visit to the restricted German training village or FIBUA (Fighting in Built Up Areas), an urban training facility, guided by Mark Kahn.

Visiting the restricted FIBUA village (Fighting in Built Up Areas), a purpose-built training facility for urban combat, modelled on a German village.

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Exploring Fan Llia to Fan Dringarth with the Big Welsh Walk 2014!

Throughout May, Ramblers Cymru is holding its annual event, the Big Welsh Walk. The event aims to encourage people to get out and about walking, with a programme of group-walks around Wales. Last Saturday (3 May) the Royal Commission provided the historical expertise for an 8.5-mile walk on the Brecon uplands planned by Cadw. 25 walkers and 4 Royal Commission staff members assembled near a Roman camp on the slopes of Fan Llia, some 400m above sea level. We were led on the walk by David Leighton, the Royal Commission’s Uplands Project coordinator. This long-running project aims to survey and record archaeology on all moorland over 244m above sea level. Although some 2380 square km have been surveyed to date, this area has yet to be covered. The 8.5-mile circular walk revealed the extent and variety of archaeology existing in upland areas such as this, from prehistoric cairns through to nineteenth-century sheep folds!

The walk proceeded along the western side of Fan Llia, where we saw a group of circular and oval platforms representing the remains of a prehistoric settlement which could date to as early as 2000 BC. This is an exciting site, as there are few examples of platform groups such as this in Wales: they are better-known in the north of Britain where the majority of those excavated are Bronze Age in date.

A short distance to the north-east lie the remains of a Bronze Age burial cairn. Its centre has been robbed out and a slab on the edge of the mound is thought to have been the capstone.

David Leighton explains how the burial chamber would have looked, with upright stones defining a stone-lined burial pit and supporting a larger capstone.

We continued north, crossing the Afon Llia at Rhyd Uchaf, a ford over the Sarn Helen, an old Roman (and post-medieval turnpike) road. We then headed towards Maen Llia (NPRN 84541), one of the largest standing stones in Wales.
 

Walkers fording the Afon LLia on line of the Roman road.

Although Maen Llia reputedly bears traces of a Latin/Ogham inscription, its precise geometric relationship with nearby bronze-age monuments suggests that it is prehistoric in origin. We paused exactly 320m south-east of Maen Llia at the remains of a Bronze Age burial cairn (NPRN 84539). David Leighton explained that the cairn forms the apex of an isosceles triangle whose other two corners are formed by Maen Llia and a multi-banked Bronze Age ring barrow (NPRN 84544). Distances between the three sites have been measured by the Royal Commission and the cairn was found to be equidistant from the other two sites. Intriguingly, a platform (possibly for a structure of some kind) sitting inside this triangle of sites is equidistant from the ring barrow and Maen Llia.
 

Platform lying precisely equidistant from ring barrow and Maen Llia.

More recently, a possible recumbent standing stone (NPRN 409642) has been identified projecting from a field-bank at the current roadside to the south-west of Maen Llia. GPS readings indicate that the stone is also at the mid-point between the ring barrow and Maen Llia.

Walker standing on possible recumbent standing stone, positioned at an equal distance between Maen Llia and the Bronze Age ring barrow.

Maen Llia, measuring 3.61m high and 2.75m wide, is located at the head of a pass between Fan Llia and Fan Nedd. According to legend, at Midsummer’s eve the stone walks to the river to drink. This story could refer to the stone’s shadow, whose evening shadow reaches towards the nearby river and is, according to local people, the shape of a forked tongue.

Maen LLia, one of the largest standing stones in Wales.

Lunch was eaten overlooking the Llia Valley and much fun was had flying kites kindly supplied by Ramblers Cymru!

Looking south down the Llia Valley.

After negotiating the 500m+ upper slopes of Fan Dringarth, we made our way down to the eastern slopes of Fan Llia and followed the line of the Nant y Gaseg stream towards Ystradfellte Reservoir. There are numerous abandoned post medieval dry-stone sheep folds and other tumbled stock enclosures in the vicinity of the reservoir.

One of many abandoned folds known to have been used from the medieval period up until at least the nineteenth century, possibly built on an earlier structure.

The reservoir, constructed in 1907-14 to provide water for Neath, has the remains of a number of probable later medieval or post medieval building platforms close to its northern and western shores. Some are thought to represent seasonal dwellings, occupied in summer when cattle grazed the upland pastures.

The Royal Commission’s David Leighton and Richard Suggett (Buildings Investigator) discuss the interior layout of a probable longhouse on the reservoir’s northern shore.

Given the close proximity of the reservoir, it is likely that further remains lie under the water itself.

Remains of medieval or later longhouse bisected by the western shore of the Ystradfellte Reservoir.

From the reservoir it was a short walk back to our start-point. We all agreed that the walk was invigorating, informative and fun!

Ramblers Cymru’s annual Big Welsh Walk continues throughout May. See their website at http://www.ramblers.org.uk/wales/what-we-do/events-index/2014/may/big-welsh-walk.aspx for details.

A list of heritage walks planned by Cadw can be found on the events page of Cadw’s website at http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/events/?lang=en

 By Nikki Vousden.


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Archaeoleg yr Uwchdiroedd a Thirweddau Milwrol yng Nghymru

Ysgol undydd a drefnwyd gan y Comisiwn Brenhinol mewn partneriaeth â’r Sefydliad Isadeiledd Amddiffyn ac Ymddiriedolaeth Archaeolegol Clwyd-Powys.
9 Mai 2014. Ardal Hyfforddi Pontsenni,
Aberhonddu, Powys

Fe fydd cyfle, yn ystod cinio, i’r cynadleddwyr weld y lluniau a baentiwyd gan garcharorion rhyfel o’r Eidal a’r Almaen ar wal y Gegin yng Ngwersyll Pontsenni ym 1945-6.  Mae’r olygfa hon yn dangos Castell Heidelberg yn ne’r Almaen (DS2011_331_003).

Bydd Fforwm Archaeoleg yr Uwchdiroedd eleni’n cael ei gynnal ar Ddydd Gwener 9 Mai 2014 yng Nghanolfan y Barcud Coch, Ardal Hyfforddi Pontsenni (SENTA) ym Mhowys. Digwyddiadagored fydd hwn, wedi’i gynnal mewn partneriaeth â’r Sefydliad Isadeiledd Amddiffyn ac Ymddiriedolaeth Archaeolegol Clwyd-Powys. Yn y bore cyflwynir adroddiadau’n deillio o arolygon uwchdirol ar hyd a lled Cymru a neilltuir y prynhawn i bapurau’n ymwneud ag archaeoleg tirweddau milwrol yn uwchdiroedd Cymru. Y tâl cofrestru yw £20, sy’n cynnwys cinio eistedd i lawr, lluniaeth a mynediad.

Bydd hwn yn gyfle prin i fynychu digwyddiad yn yr ardal hyfforddi a chlywed mwy am archaeoleg Mynydd Epynt a thirweddau archaeolegol eraill yng Nghymru, ac i ymweld â safleoedd ar y maes yng nghwmni archaeolegwyr a phersonél milwrol. Fe fydd nifer cyfyngedig o leoedd, felly bwciwch yn gynnar.

Rhoddir manylion pellach am y digwyddiad a’r trefniadau bwcio ar wefan y Comisiwn Brenhinol. I gael rhagor o wybodaeth, cysylltwch â David Leighton yn david.leighton@cbhc.gov.uk neu drwy ffonio 01970 621204


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