Crowning the summit of Moel Arthur Mountain is small, powerfully enclosed hillfort. This is oval or sub-circular in form, roughly 160m north-south by 140m with an area of 1.8ha. The mountain slopes fall away headlong around the south-west, south and eastern sides, and here there is a single terraced rampart, the quarry scarp behind giving the impression of a second inner rampart. To the north strong double ramparts and ditches rise above less precipitous slopes. The inturned north-east facing entrance is set at the edge of the steeper slopes, taking advantage of their line to contrive an oblique approach.

The ground rises more gently in the interior to a rounded summit. There is a broad terrace behind the ramparts on the north and east sides and several building platforms were observed in the wake of heather burning in 1938.

Diggings were carried out in 1849. Coarse red pottery, said to be Roman, was found in the area of building platforms on the north. A massive drystone construction was also recorded and unfortunately destroyed, apparently in the quarry terrace at the rear of the terraced rampart to the south of the entrance. This was 4.6m long, with rounded corners, and up to 2.6m thick, butting up against the rock at the rear of the terrace.

Hillforts such as this were generally constructed in the Iron Age and many continued to be occupied through the Roman period. Unfortunately the description given of the 'coarse red pottery' from Moel Arthur is not detailed enough to be sure that it was in fact Roman rather than prehistoric.

Sources: Ffoulkes, W. 1850. Archaeologia Cambrensis 2nd series I, 181-7.
Davies, D. 'The Prehistoric & Roman Remains of Flintshire' (1949), 267-70.

John Wiles 04.01.08