• Introduction

Data copyright © Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust unless otherwise stated

Primary contact

Chris Martin
Head of Curatorial Services
Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust
Tel: 01938 553670
Fax: 01938 552179

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Resource identifiers

• ADS Collection: 1785

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The Clwyd-Powys Regional Historic Environment Record, maintained by CPAT on behalf of, and in partnership with, Powys County Council, Denbighshire County Council, Flintshire County Council, Wrexham County Borough Council and Conwy County Borough Council, covers the unitary authorities of Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham and the eastern part of Conwy (which from 1974 to 1996 formed the county of Clwyd), and the unitary authority of Powys, which includes most of the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The unitary authority of Conwy was created in April 1996 by the amalgamation of Colwyn District Council (in the then county of Clwyd) and Aberconwy District Council (in the then county of Gwynedd). From 1996 CPAT and GAT have shared responsibility for the Conwy record.

The Clwyd-Powys regional HER deals with an area of some 7,500 square kilometres of north-east and central Wales, ranging in character from the open uplands of the Cambrian Mountains and the Brecon Beacons, to the rich river valleys of the Severn and the Clwyd. At present the regional HER contains over 126,000 records, reflecting the wealth and diversity of the region's historic landscape. Sites recorded range in date from the Palaeolithic to the twentieth century, and include extensive funerary and ritual complexes of the Neolithic and Bronze Age, dramatic chains of Iron Age hillforts, the settlements, roads and forts of the Romans, and the farms, villages, castles and churches of Wales' Dark Age and Medieval kingdoms - interspersed with those of her English neighbours.

When CPAT was formed in 1974 one of its primary objectives was the creation of a Sites and Monuments Record (SMR). Initially this drew on basic sources such as the records of the Ordnance Survey, the Inventories of the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and information in Wales' National Monuments Record. Over time, programmes of excavation, survey, aerial photography and other research, by CPAT and others, have expanded and augmented the record. Today the HER comprises many elements, from computer databases and digital surveys to historic maps, 25 years worth of excavation and survey archives and over 30,000 aerial and 40,000 terrestrial photographs. In 2010, after a period of review and documentation, the Sites and Monuments Record was renamed the Historic Environment Record. CPAT would always recommend that extra information, such as this, is consulted in addition to the computer record shown here. If you are carrying out research or fieldwork in our area, we would be pleased to provide information and assistance, if we can, and in turn to receive any results of this work for the HER.

The HER is used for a variety of purposes, such as advising local authorities on the implications of proposals for building development, providing heritage management advice to organisations and individuals and answering enquiries from both private and professional researchers. CPAT and its HER partners have always been keen to increase the use made of the HER and to promote better access to information about Wales' historic environment. Making data available to the Archaeology Data Service is seen as one way of doing this, and the following data fields have been made available on-line.

• Name of resource: The name of the site (or monument) being recorded.
  Taken from CPAT's SMR Name field.
• Description: A text description of the site. This is cumulative, and of variable quantity and quality, with each new piece of information being added to the end of the previous one. Where possible entries are cross-referenced to one or more of the listed Bibliographical references.
  Taken from CPAT's SMR Description field.
• Project Date(s): The earliest and latest dates of recorded archaeological events relating to the site.
  Taken from CPAT's SMR Event Date field.
• Drawn from: The County SMR from which the site record is drawn.
  Derived from CPAT's SMR Unitary Authority and Local Planning Authority fields.
• Bibliographical references: Sources from which the site record is compiled.
  Derived from CPAT's Bibliographical database.
• Record maintainers: The Regional SMR is maintained by the Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust.
• Map reference: Ordnance Survey National Grid Reference for the site being recorded. Here, this is has been reduced to 100 metre precision (or less).
  Taken from CPAT's SMR National Grid Reference field.
• Subject: The initial subject of each record given here is compiled from the SMR form and class fields, for example Earthwork, Military. The second subject, which here is tied to and preceded by a Period entry, is compiled from the SMR site type field, for example Hillfort or House. Within the CPAT SMR a site type is always tied to a related period entry. Up to three site types (subjects) may be given here as ranked alternative interpretations of the site. The preferred site type is given first.
  Taken from CPAT's SMR Site Type 1, Site Type 2 or Site Type 3 fields.
• Period: An archaeological period relating to each of the stated site types, for example Bronze Age, Medieval. These are broadly similar to the MIDAS standard used in England but may have slightly different time spans.
  Taken from CPAT's SMR Period 1, Period 2 or Period 3 fields.
• Intervention Type: An archaeological intervention recorded in the SMR. For example Excavation, Visit, Survey, etc.
  Taken from CPAT's SMR Event field.
• Intervention Dates: The date of a given archaeological intervention.
  Taken from CPAT's SMR Event Date or Event Year field.
• Place: The general location of the site or monument being recorded (where applicable).
  Taken from CPAT's SMR Location or Name fields.
• Community: The community, an administrative division of a Unitary Authority equivalent to an English parish, in which the recorded site or monument lies.
  Taken from CPAT's SMR Community field.
• District/Unitary Authority: The Unitary Authority area in which the site or monument being recorded lies. Unitary Authorities replaced both County and District Councils throughout Wales in 1996.
  Taken from CPAT's SMR Unitary Authority field.
• County: A name commonly used to refer to a Welsh Unitary Authority. Taken from CPAT's SMR Unitary Authority field.
• Resource Identifiers (Depositor ID): A unique numeric identifier given to each record in the SMR. Please quote this in any correspondence or queries.
  Taken from CPAT's SMR Primary Record Number field.
• Record last checked: The date on which the record was last edited or updated.
  Taken from CPAT's SMR Compiled On or Last Updated fields.

The data used here was downloaded from CPAT's Regional SMR on 23rd October 2000. It is hoped that new (and better edited) data fields will be available for the next release.

As with any record, the HER can never be definitive and will always have errors and omissions. CPAT makes every effort to rectify this but if you notice mistakes, or have any information that you think ought to be in the our HER, then please let us know. Inclusion in the HER is often the first step to preserving a site for future generations - but if we don't know its there we can't protect it. All comments and enquiries can be addressed to the HER Officer at the contact points given below.

The inclusion of a site in the HER does not imply any rights of public access. Although some monuments, such as those in the care of Cadw: Welsh Historic Monuments, are 'open to the public' most sites on the HER lie on private land and anyone wishing to visit these, for any reason, must obtain permission from land owners and tenants first.

CPAT's Regional HER is one of four such records, maintained by the Welsh Archaeological Trusts, which together cover the whole of Wales. An index to sites in HER and national heritage records in Wales can be found in CARN (the Core Archaeological Record iNdex) and on Historic Wales in the Search Records section of the RCAHMW web site (at www.rcahmw.org.uk). The work of the HER and the other curatorial services of CPAT, is supported by grant aid from the RCAHMW and Cadw and with help in kind from local authorities. The Regional HER is produced and maintained by CPAT in partnership with its local authorities. It comprises information from a range of sources, some of which retain copyright of their contribution. In all uses, data from the HER will remain the copyright of CPAT, its partners in the HER and any other stated bodies. All information given here is provided on the understanding that it is solely for individual use or private research and must not be copied or otherwise reproduced in the public domain without the expressed permission of the copyright holder(s).

Further information about the HER and work of the Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust can be found at our web site.

The principal means of accessing the Clwyd-Powys HER online is via Archwilio. Archwilio is the online access system to the Historic Environment Records (HERs) of Wales. It was developed in partnership by the four Welsh Archaeological Trusts and contains information for the whole of Wales. For more information visit Archwilio. Please note that information obtained from Archwilio is intended for use for information and research purposes only and may not be used for development control purposes or as part of a commercial project. Enquiries of this nature should be addressed directly to the HER.