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Monday 31 August 2015

Felindre Farchog enclosure





Apologies to Pembs Hist Soc -- I thought they were referring to an enclosure called Castell Mawr.  Probably it is this one, which is actually on the valley floor:

http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/413007/details/FELINDRE+FARCHOG,+ENCLOSURE/

Thanks to Geo for pointing this out.  You can easily find it on Google Earth or "Where's the Path?"

So there will be some digging there in September -- I wonder if Castell Mawr has been abandoned?

14 comments:

BRIAN JOHN said...

By the way, Tony wondered what Felindre Farchog means. "Felin" is mill, "dre" is town or settlement, and "Farchog" is a knight or horseman. So this is the "mill-town of the knight." In England it would probably be called Knight's Milton.

So this place name is related to Cerrig Marchogion high up on the Preseli ridge, where there is a legend that all the dolerite outcrops are the petrified remains of the knights of King Arthur, who fell in battle.

chris johnson said...

I thought we speculated previously that they were looking around Bayvil, which is a couple of miles north of Felindre Farchog. There are some interesting tumuli there and it is not far from Trefael where George Nash suspects a "ritual landscape". Is Bayvil dropped as possible site I wonder.

Hope someone is going along to give us a report.

Davey said...

Chris is correct. We have had this discussion previously. The image put on display by MPP at his last talk about Rhosyfelin at Castell Henllys was of a circular crop mark at Bayvil.

Davey said...

And this:

http://brian-mountainman.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=+bayvil

BRIAN JOHN said...

Hi Davey -- yes, I recall us talking about Bayvil, but there is a distinct circular cropmark here at Felindre Farchog as well, directly under the O which I have imposed on the image. You can check it out for yourself. It's rather faint, but it could be something of interest. Maybe related to those strange round embanked enclosures which Hugh has described, and maybe even all that's left of a a medieval cattle pound? All will be revealed, I suppose.....

TonyH said...

Could it be that MPP & Friends have had their attention drawn to the Felindre Farchog feature by something that has been drawn to their, or Tim Darvill & his SPACES Project attention by members of the Pembrokeshire Historical Society, and/or delvers into, say, the National Welsh Archives? That is, if I'm permitted to speculate at all, being non - Welsh.

If SPACES know anything from fieldwork they have done, then Myris, or a very good friend of his, may have an insight, or be able to gain an insight, albeit from his Central England eyrie.

TonyH said...

There again, SIZE may be everything. Perhaps they have also done some geophys or more cutting edge stuff.

Myris of Alexandria said...

Sorry the fount is quite dry. Dr Ixer has never been known for his love of field work.
It is common for university digs to be multi-located, finding enough room for bums in trenches.
M

BRIAN JOHN said...

If there is a new site here, and if it contains something interesting, that's fine. Nobody should have a problem with that.

chris johnson said...

Daily Mail today has some great graphics about the doggerland period and back to 18000 BC. Bit off topic I know, but worth checking out.

Felindre Farchog must have a long history by virtue of its strategic geographic location. Have archaeologists dig a serious trench almost anywhere and something interesting should turn up. These investigations are a positive spin-off from all the story telling and I welcome the effort.

TonyH said...

Myris, or anyone else who has access to the Tim Darvill/ Geoff Wainwright/ Paul Devereaux/ ?Simon Pegg? SPACES research over its approx. 10 years existence, you may discover something about Felindre Farchog's earthwork et al on their records. From memory, I think some are on the Web?

May be some Germanic bums in trenches, as last year, as MPP's over - arching search for Greater Geographic Lebensraum and Influence continues.....(only joking, satire)

Dave Maynard said...

This morning while returning from taking my daughter to the stables, I saw two things in progress.

One was a solitary, ominous looking black pillar on the slope below Carn Goedog. Is this the mysterious toilet tent Brian has mentioned before?

The other was a 360 digger and dumper hard at work at Craig Rhos-y-Felin. Looks like they are concentrating on the lower area at the foot of the carn towards the stream.

Dave

TonyH said...

Fracking....?? Any other suitable adjective?

TonyH said...

THE BRIGHT ELUSIVE BUTTERFLY OF HUBRIS

You might wake up some morning
To the sound of something moving past your window in the wind
You might have heard his footsteps
Echo softly in the distance through the canyons of your mind.

Don't be concerned, it will not harm you
It's only Mike pursuing something he's sure sure of!
........
He chased the bright elusive red herring of Preseli
.......
If you remember something there that glided past you
Followed close by heavy breathing.....
Backs to the wall, chaps.....Ruling Hypothesis Man At Work.

COPYRIGHT BOB LIND. LYRICS ALTERED, SORRY, BOB.