Roman Fortlet

Erglodd, Dyfed

NGRef: SN6590 OSMap: LR135 Type: Fortlet
Roads
NNE (6) to MAGLONA (Pennal, Gwynedd) Probable road: S (6) to Pen Llwyn (Dyfed)

The Small Roman Fort at Erglodd Farm

This small, almost square fort was discovered from the air in September 1976 when the complete outline of its defences were observed as a parch-mark; the enclosure measured 167 ft from north-west to south-east by 154 ft transversely (c.51 x 47 m), thus enclosing an area a little in excess of ½-acre (c.0.24 ha). The site was visited by archaeologists in November that same year, when a section across the defences revealed a turf rampart, 10 ft wide (c.3 m), its front overlapping a shallow, turf-filled ditch, beyond which was another, wider ditch 6½ ft wide and 3 ft deep (c.2 x 0.9 m); both ditches had a typical Roman military V-shaped profile and both were deliberately back-filled.

Small sherds of Samian and coarse pottery recovered from the ploughsoil around the site confirm its Roman origin but were too worn for any precise dating to be made. Webster links the use of this fortlet, which possesses extensive views of the Dyfi Estuary, with the Imperial British Fleet, the Classis Britannica (Webster p.114).

See: Air Reconnaissance in Britain, 1973-76 by J.K. St. Joseph in J.R.S. lxvii (1977) pp.152/3;
Rome Against Caratacus by Graham Webster (Batsford, London, 1993);

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