Summerton Camp
Has been described as a Rejected Timber Castle (Ringwork)
There are earthwork remains
| Name | Summerton Camp |
| Alternative Names | |
| Historic Country | Pembrokeshire |
| Modern Authority | Pembrokeshire |
| 1974 Authority | Dyfed |
| Community | Puncheston |
This work is one of the most difficult to classify, as either it has been much destroyed, or else the defences when at their best must have been of the most feeble description. It consists of an oval enclosure and circular keep, situated on the mountain side, with the ground sloping upwards to the north, and protected to some extent by a steep slope to the south. The outer enclosure is 310 feet by 250 feet, and the rampart to the north against the hill is 7 feet high with a 10 feet fall to a ditch 5 feet deep. To the south it is 2 feet high, with 7 feet fall to a ditch 2 feet deep. The inner enclosure or keep is 120 feet in diameter; the rampart is 3 feet with 6 feet fall to a ditch 4 feet deep; the inner ampart to the north is thus 4 feet lower than the outer. An entrance for both is to the east, and the outer enclosure has a further entrance to the west, leaving a terrace between the two enclosures. Although possessing many of the features of a Romano-British earthwork, this camp is probably of Norman origin, and its wooden defences having decayed, the earthen foundations of the keep are ail that now remain of a once formidable work. (RCAHMW, 1925 ref. W. Ll. Morgan)
A bivallate, subcircular enclosure, set on south-east facing slopes, defined by widely spaced, concentric, but rather concentric banked & ditched circuits, about 42-44m & 90-110m across respectively, having aligned north-west & south-east facing entrances. (Coflein)
The monument comprises the remains of a defended enclosure, which probably dates to the Iron Age period (c. 800 BC - AD 74, the Roman conquest of Wales) and which is situated on the south east facing slopes of a rounded hill towards the head of the Afon Glan-rhyd. It consists of a circular enclosure with a concentric annexe. The inner enclosure is c 42m in diameter and defended by two banks and ditches. The inner bank rises 0.6m above the interior and 1.8m above its external ditch
There is a counterscarp on the outer edge of this ditch and then a berm between it and the outer bank. The outer bank stands 2m high and is surrounded by a ditch up to 1m deep. A simple gap through the banks and ditch’s on the east side marks the original entrance. The defences of the outer annexe lie between 10m and 30m from the inner enclosure and consist of a single bank and ditch, the bank stands up to 2m high, there are gaps on the east and west sides that may mark the location of entrances. (Scheduling Report)
This site is a scheduled monument protected by law
Not Listed
The National Monument Record (Coflein) number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
| OS Map Grid Reference | SM990301 |
| Latitude | 51.9337615966797 |
| Longitude | -4.9246997833252 |
| Eastings | 199020 |
| Northings | 230180 |
