Rhossili and Rhossili Down in west Gower are archaeologically very rich. Promontory forts occupy a number of locations on the clifftops while on Rhossili Down are to be found several Neolithic burial chambers and Bronze Age cairns. Much earlier prehistoric activity in the area was revealed by the stray find of a palaeolithic handaxe below nearby cliffs.
At the foot of the Down, immediately below the modern village, is the site of the deserted medieval village and the former church of Rhossili (NPRN 301526) which became besanded in the later medieval period; remains of both now lie amongst sand dunes. The most significant landscape survival, however, is the medieval open field system known as the Vile (24333), its field pattern preserved today and defined by uncultivated earthen baulks and drystone walls.

CCW/Cadw Register of Landscapes of Outstanding Historic Interst in Wales (1998)

David Leighton, RCAHMW, 24 July 2009