PREHISTORIC SITES IN THE KINNERTON AREA


The Four Stones. The Stone circle near Kinnerton consists of four impressively-sized glacial boulders. It is possible that the font in Old Radnor church was made from another originally in this group.

Standing Stone in a field to the south of Kinnerton church

This stone has fallen over and can be found in the verge on a sharp corner of the lane from Kinnerton to Knapp
New Stone Age / early Bronze Age sites around Kinnerton
The Standing Stones around Kinnerton are beleived to date to before 2000 BC when the area is thought to have been inhabited by early hunter-gatherer types. These early settlers are known as 'Beaker Folk' as small squat drinking vessels have been found in many round barrows, their burial places, a few examples of which this area contains. Flints have been found in a collapsed barrow near Rough Close Farm in 1966 and no less than 700 in an adjoining field together with postherds and fragments of cremated bones. The area, in general has turned up over 6000 flints. A more recent descovery has been the Hindwell Pallisade which is one of the largest known Neolithic enclosures in Western Europe.
Iron Age sites nearby
Around 500 BC new settlers from mainland Europe arrived in Britain. These Iron Age Celtic tribes were the ancestors of the Welsh, from whose language modern Welsh gradualy evolved. Their settlement of Britain was more likely an invasion, firstly subduing the indiginous population and then, presumably, intermarrying with them. In this area it is beleived that two of the four tribes that colonised Wales, the Deceangli from the south and the Cornovii from the north and east were present. Sites associated with them are mostly hillforts. They did not bury any of their dead in tumuli or barrows, as the earlier Beaker Folk did, so grave sites do not appear to have been so important to them.
Burfa Camp to the south west is much larger containing about 20 acres. This site appears to have secondary as well as primary defences but it is too thickly forested for the visitor to see much.
Castle Ring, to the east of Kinnerton, stands 1000 feet above sea level occupying a circular site near the crossroads at Beggars Bush. There is a double rampart enclosing about 2 acres with 2 entrances all clearly visible. Its small size makes it likely that it is a later celtic work from around the 6-7th century when the Anglo-Saxons were invading Britain.

Burfa