1. Crocksydam Camp or Moody Nose is an unusual prehistoric and Romano-British coastal promontory fort situated on the southern limestone cliffs of the Castlemartin Training Area. A single rampart with an external ditch, c. 107m long, curves around to enclose the coastal promontory; the limited interior encloses around 0.42 hectare. There is one main gate in the north side, well-defined by coarse walling of large limestone blocks, with a second smaller gap in the defences on the east side. This secondary gap may be linked to a large, irregular area of excavation or quarrying with an associated mound in the southeast part of the fort interior which may represent antiquarian digging (see below) or later disturbance. This may also correspond to where Crossley notes the 'remains of a stone hut to the north of the outcrop in the defence' (1963, No. 31) or as noted under PRN 26439 by the Dyfed Archaeological Trust, the remains of a lime kiln marked on a 1787 map of Cawdor.
Crocksydam is an unusual promontory enclosure, sited in an inconspicuous natural coastal ‘bowl’ or concavity in the cliffs, overlooked from higher crags on the approaches to the north and northeast, and tilted west. Thus it is principally visible from across the bay from neighbouring Flimston Bay coastal promontory fort (NPRN 94227). It is approached from the north via a deep natural canyon between limestone crags which could be considered to have been part of the formal approach to the monument in prehistory. The largely featureless interior is centred upon the higher limestone cliff-top crag or ‘nose’ which may have been a significant feature in prehistory.
Excavation in the interior by Cunnington and Pegge (a trench 4ft by 3ft), around 1930 from a 'levelled part...on the west side', produced Romano-British pottery from what appears to have been a building of some kind: 'Here was found a floor of burnt clay 18 in, thick, which was continued as plastering for a height of 1 ft. up the face of the rock; and the whole of the area appeared to be covered with pot-sherds, burnt and unburnt bones, and other occupation debris' (Grimes 1931, 394-5). A list of pottery and bone fines from Crocksydam held by National Museum Wales is appended below, and shows a good percentage of traded wares including amphora. James in Archaeology in Wales (1988, AW28, 39) noted that the defences were apparently bivallate. However the fort has been resurveyed for the EU-Funded CHERISH Project in 2020-21, including new detailed topographic survey and high resolution drone photogrammetry. The new survey work confirms a single univallate defence and few other structural features within or outside the rampart.
Toby Driver and Louise Barker, CHERISH Project/RCAHMW, 5th May 2023 and 21 January 2025.
2. Crocksydam coastal promontory fort is a study site within CHERISH Project. New ground survey and photography, with UAV photogrammetry, was undertaken in August 2020.
A 3D model of the site from the UAV photogrammetry can be found on Sketchfab: https://skfb.ly/owuMX
In August 2022 CHERISH installed two fixed survey markers (survey nails in two limestone outcrops/blocks) near to Flimston Bay Camp and Crocksydam Camp. The markers and their associated location coordinates (BNG) will enable accurate monitoring and change detection of these sites going forward. Details are:
E2 Primary Station Marker - Easting: 193555.1547; Northing: 194447.1301; Height: 48.7356
E6 Secondary Control Point - Easting: 193465.171; Northing: 194510.5118; Height: 48.8422
See CHERISH Monitoring Network - FC_E2 and FC_E6 control markers Event Report: 04/08/2022 for full details including Witness Diagrams (CHERISH Survey Report No. CH/RCAHMW 48 and Data Archive RCCS35)
Louise Barker, CHERISH - RCAHMW, December 2023
CHERISH (Climate, Heritage and Environments of Reefs, Islands and Headlands) was an EU-funded Wales-Ireland project (2017-2023) led by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, in partnership with the Discovery Programme: Centre for Archaeology and Innovation Ireland, Aberystwyth University: Department of Geography and Earth Sciences and Geological Survey, Ireland. https://cherishproject.eu/en/
3. Crocksydam: finds in National Museum Wales
30.613/2.1 Mortarium rim sherd in pinkish-white ware. No.1 in the BBCS report.
30.613/2.2 Mortarium rim sherd in pinkish-white ware, probably from the same mortarium as 30.613/2.1. No.1 in the BBCS report.
30.613/2.3 Mortarium rim sherd in similar pinkish-white ware but with a different rim form. No.1 in the BBCS report
30.613/2.4 Oxford colour coat flanged bowl rim. Form copying samian Dr. 38, Young (1977) Type C51, AD 240-400. No.2 in the BBCS report.
30.613/2.5 Oxford colour coat flanged bowl rim. Form copying samian Dr. 38, Young (1977) Type C51, AD 240-400. No.2 in the BBCS report.
30.613/2.6 Flange from an Oxford colour coat flanged bowl. Probably from the same bowl as 30.613/2.4
30.613/2.7 Flange from an Oxford colour coat flanged bowl rim. Joins to rim 30.613/2.5
30.613/2.8 Black Burnished ware flanged and beaded bowl rim, probably late 3rd / 4th century. No.3 in the BBCS report.
30.613/2.9 Black Burnished ware bead dish rim, probably 2nd / early 3rd century. No.3 in the BBCS report.
30.613/2.10 Black Burnished ware jar rim. No.3 in the BBCS report.
30.613/2.11 Footring, probably burnt remains of an Oxford colour coat vessel. No.4 in the BBCS report.
30.613/2.12 – 13 Mortarium body sherds of similar fabric to 30.613/2.1 – 3
30.613/2.14 Mortarium body sherd. Joins to rim 30.613/2.3.
30.613/2.15 Body sherd with band of rouletting. Grey ware with an oxidized, orange, outer face, which has traces of a red colour coat.
30.613/2.16 Body sherd, possibly burnt Black Burnished ware.
30.613/2.17 Body sherd, oxidized ware with traces of a red colour coat.
30.613/2.18 Roman amphora sherd.
30.613/2.19 Undated burnt bone fragment.
4. Possible finds noted by Fenton
On his tour through Pembrokeshire, Fenton after his visit and description of Flimston Bay Camp (NPRN 94227) and before arriving at St Govan’s chapel notes:
A little more eastward still occurs another similar camp, in one of the ditches of which, by a labourer raising a hedge, was dug up half a skeleton, the upper part with a sort of brazen ring on his breast, perhaps a rude broach (1811, 412)
This could relate to Crocksydam Camp opposite Flimston, as assigned in the Archaeological Survey of Pembrokeshire (Laws and Owen, No.105.3), but also The Castle/ Buckspool promontory fort (NPRN 305429) which is more similar in form to Flimston.
Louise Barker, RCAHMW, 21 January 2025
Sources
Crossley, D.W. 1963. List of Hill-forts and other earthworks in Pembrokeshire. The Bulleting of the Board of Celtic Studies 20,171-206
Fenton, R., 1811. A Historical Tour through Pembrokeshire
Grimes, W.F. 1931. Roman-British Pottery from Crocksydam Camp, Warren, Pemb The Bulletin of the Boards of Celtic Studies, 5, 394-5
Laws, E. and Owen H. 1908. An Archaeological Survey of Pembrokeshire 1896-907
Nash-Williams, V.F. 1933.An Early Iron Age Hillfort at Llanmelin, near Caerwent, Monmouthshire. Archaeologia Cambrensis (specifically Appendix II: Note on the distribution of hill-forts and other earthworks in Wales and the Marches 311-346).
Ordnance Survey Record Card. SR 99 SW 2