Description1. Cropmarks recorded on Welsh-Government flown vertical aerial photographs, taken in July 2013, show a previously unrecorded Roman enclosure sited on the summit of a prominent hill to the east of Cog, Sully.
The cropmarks show the rectangular, univallate ditch of the enclosure which is aligned south-south-east by north-north-west, with a south-east facing entrance. The enclosure measures 68m along its southern side but narrows to 65m across on its north side. It measures 77m north-south, enclosing 0.5 hectares. The simple entrance gap measures 6m wide, and may have a post-built gateway within. The two southern corners of the enclosure are neatly rounded in the Roman tradition, but those on the narrowing north side are more angular. Given its partially rhomboid form it is unlikely to be a Roman marching camp and is more likely to be a Romano-British villa enclosure in the manner of Whitton Lodge (NPRN 227673) or the Moorlands Farm enclosure (NPRN 419628) near Caermead villa, also discovered in 2013; alternatively the site could be a Roman temenos enclosure and this may be more likely given its prominent position on a hill summit within sight of the estuary.
The site was discovered by Eric Harvey and the location has previously yielded late Roman coins.
T. Driver, RCAHMW, 23rd April 2014
2. Comparable in plan to excavated religious enclosures of Roman date at Lowbury, Oxon and Rothwell Haigh, Leeds, in LIFE AND DEATH IN THE COUNTRYSIDE OF ROMAN BRITAIN. By Smith, A., Allen, M., Brindle, T., Fulford, M., Lodwick, L. and Rohnbogner, A. (eds.), Britannia Monograph Series No. 31. Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies, London, 2018. Fig. 5.20, page 143.
