Excavations by Gwynedd Archaeological Trust between 2013 and 2017 revealed that Hen Gastell is a small but high-status medieval defended enclosure dating to the 11th–12th centuries AD. The site consists of a deep ditch, substantial outer bank, and a small interior platform that once held timber buildings, including evidence of a smithing hearth. Finds such as copper alloy dress fittings suggest occupation by people of some status, though probably below that of a princely llys. Radiocarbon dating indicates use over just a few generations before the site was abandoned. Today, Hen Gastell provides a rare insight into the variety of defended sites built by native Welsh lords in the medieval period .
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