Curious Clwyd
The beauty, the history, the folklore of North East Wales

Relatively steep sided on its north, south and western slopes, its north eastern approach is fairly even tempered - hence its similarity to a promontory fort. And this would account for the addition of a third stone faced rampart at the north east entrance here, overlooked as it is from from height from the east. Two were deemed sufficient elsewhere along the circumference. The third rampart extends for some small distance along the north of the fort, forming a sort of small ‘extension’ around an area of flatter ground. The entrance enjoys in turned ends which would have made an attack here considerably more costly. Of great interest is the inner rampart overlooking the eastern entrance, dating to the earliest phase of occupation to perhaps the late Bronze Age, possibly early Iron Age. During the eight day excavation of W. Wynne Ffoulkes in 1849, which focused on the eastern entrance, a considerable amount of vitrified material was found - burnt stone, which puzzled Wynne Ffoulkes considerably. It would seem the discovery of this burnt stone, however, fully excited the eminent historian Willoughby Gardner to a sort of educated frenzy, picturing battle and fiery destruction. In his presidential address to the Cambrians in 1926, he painted a quite splendid, florid picture of an attack on Moel y Gaer.

‘Let us picture to ourselves an assault upon the south west wall of this hillfort.  The attacking horde would first charge across the little obstacle ditch, and, rushing on the ‘glacis’ they would be brought to a halt by the first row of spiked stones inserted on its edge.  Then for the distance of forty five feet or more up the ‘glacis’ slope they could but slowly pick their way among the bristling points protruding out of the ground on every side.  By these they would be badly bruised and cut if they tripped or were struck down by the staves or slingstones and other missiles poured down upon them from the rampart above.  Those who survived this ordeal would renew their rush across the next ditch and scramble up the steep scarp in front which was very probably made still more difficult by being covered with slippery scree upon its lower half.  When they reached firmer ground, another charge would be made to cross the next ditch.  But here an unseen and terrible reception was prepared for in them in the form of a seven foot belt of sharp stone stakes lining the bottom of the ditch; on these they could hardly help but fall with the impetus of their dash over the last banks and the pressure of the throng behind.  All this time the shower of missiles from the ramparts above would doubtless continue; and one can well imagine that but few of the host that started on the ‘rush’ would survive to climb the last bank and to cross the final ditch and thus reach the foot of the great stone rampart.’

W. Gardiner, Archaeologia Cambrensis 1926 7th Series Vol 6 Page 259

Thrilling stuff indeed. Unfortunately, it is likely that Gardner was being a little over enthusiastic in his depiction of slaughter on the slopes of Moel y Gaer. There is no real evidence of an attack, of, as he claimed, ‘a chevaux de frise of sharp pointed stones firmly inserted in the ground’. Indeed, there has been a notable lack of artefacts found at Moel y Gaer, other than a single piece of glazed but ‘rotten’ Roman pottery. A bronze looped palstave and a bronze ‘axe’ were said to have been found, and displayed at the Ruthin Meeting of the Cambrians in 1854, but have since been lost. A local ‘rustic’ apparently found several ‘iron balls’ - again, lost. And no chevaux de frise have yet been found.