1. Buckspool Camp is a complex triple ditch and bank system which cuts off a tapering cliff-girt promontory, whose summit area extends about 120m north to south and is at most 40m across; a sea cave, or arch passes under the isthmus; building platforms are recorded on the western slopes of the interior and excavations here, in 1930(?) produced a small Romano-British ceramic assemblage.

Source: Grimes 1931 (BBCS 5), 394-5.

J.Wiles 10.03.05

2. Buckspool promontory fort, also known as The Castle, is a later prehistoric site situated on the south coast of Pembrokeshire within the Castlemartin Range MOD site, a kilometre west of St Govan’s chapel at Buckspool Down. It has previously been subject to stone robbing and damage, and is under threat from coastal erosion.

The site includes three ditch and rampart features, with an external spread of limestone outcropping which may have worked as another line of natural defences. Inside there is an impressive natural limestone blow-hole, which would have been present in prehistory.

The entranceway is marked with two ditch terminals. There also appears to be the footprint of a stone building, perhaps a tower, although the site has been significantly disturbed by later activity and so positively identifying prehistoric phasing is challenging. Inside the fort there are the remains of multiple roundhouse structures, suggesting domestic use of the inner fort.

Finds of pottery from the site include sherds of Black Burnished Ware (2nd / 3rd century), oxidized ware, and an Oxford colour coat mortarium rim (probable 4th century).

Buckspool promontory fort was a key study site for the CHERISH project due to the threat of coastal erosion, exacerbated by climate change. As part of this project GNSS topographic survey was undertaken on 13/08/2020. The site was also surveyed by UAV (drone) on 13/08/2020, from which A 3D model of the site was created. This can be accessed with the following link: https://skfb.ly/owuLX

H. Genders Boyd, CHERISH, October 2022

3.

In August 2022 CHERISH installed two fixed survey markers (survey nails in a limestone boulder and road edge) near to Buckspool promontory fort. 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: 195505.1586; Northing: 193538.1136; Height: 37.7792

E6 Secondary Control Point - Easting: 195730.5346; Northing: 193297.5313; Height: 39.8089

See CHERISH Monitoring Network - BP_E2 and BP_E6 control markers Event Report: 03/08/2022 for full details including Witness Diagrams (CHERISH Survey Report No. CH/RCAHMW 49 and Data Archive RCCS36)

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/

4. Finds. Reported in Fenton, BBCS and held by Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales

a. 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 (NPRN 305417) opposite Flimston, as assigned in the Archaeological Survey of Pembrokeshire (Laws and Owen, No.105.3), but also Buckspool promontory fort, which is more similar in form to Flimston.

b. Messrs. Pegge and Cunningham have also reported Romano-British pottery from the promontory fort at Buckspool, Bosherton, although here the finds were probably of somewhat earlier date, including part of a mortarium-stamp of the potter OSB (?=Osbimanus), of the 2nd century (BBCS 1931, 395)

These finds are held by Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales under accession 30.613/2 (Dyfed Misc 1 box, in the Roman section). Evan Chapman (Senior Curator: Archaeology) reported on them (as below) following enquiry by the CHERISH project in August 2022:

30.613/1.1 Undated iron ring – actually just a length of wire bent round in a circle. Completely undatable, could easily be fairly modern.
30.613/1.2 Undated bone object – bird (or small animal) bone that appears to have been utilised, possibly as a pin.
30.613/1.3 Prehistoric flint flake
30.613/1.4 Mortarium rim sherd in oxidized ware. The one with the OSB stamp mentioned in the BBCS report.
30.613/1.5 Black Burnished ware jar rim, probably late 2nd / 3rd century
30.613/1.6 Black Burnished ware flanged dish rim, probably 2nd century
30.613/1.7 Black Burnished ware jar rim, probably from the same jar as 30.613/1.5
30.613/1.8 Oxford colour coat mortarium rim. Upright rim and angular flange of Young (1977) Type C100, probably 4th century
30.613/1.9 Black Burnished ware body sherd, probably from a dish.
30.613/1.10 Body sherd, probably burnt remains of an Oxford colour coat vessel
30.613/1.11 Mortarium body sherd in oxidized ware
30.613/1.12 – 20 Black Burnished ware body sherds
30.613/1.21 Body sherd, oxidized ware
30.613/1.22 Body sherd, probably burnt remains of an Oxford colour coat vessel
30.613/1.23 Body sherd, oxidized ware

It is unclear exactly where these finds were found, or if an excavation took place. Two potential areas might be the obvious double round house in the fort's interior and the clearly disturbed remains along with the possible footprint of a stone building on the inner rampart bank.

Louise Barker, RCAHMW, 20 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 SE1

RCAHMW, 1925 An inventory of the Ancient Monumnets in Wales and Monmouthshire: County of Pembroke (No. 47)

Site Record

The Castle / Buckspool Coastal Promontory Fort, Stackpole