Hill Forts and Roundhouses

The Gower Peninsula has had a long and interesting history, with human remains
having been recovered from nearly 30,000 years ago. These remains were named
the Red Lady of Paviland due to the remains having been dyed in red ochre.
They were later discovered to be male, but the discoverer, Rev. William Buckland,
thought they were female due to the small size of the body and the jewellry it
wore. The Red Lady of Paviland is thought to be the oldest ceremonial remains
in Western Europe.

The earliest people living on Gower were primarily hunter-gatherers, with the
earliest permanent dwelling having been discovered at around 800bc. These
dwellings usually take the form of 3 or 4 huts, made of wattle and daub and wood
surrounded by a earthen mound and a ditch. These are known as hill-forts, and
one of the largest examples on Gower can be found on Llanmadoc Hill, and is
visible from St Madoc Centre. This hill-fort is known as the Bulwark, and, unusually,
is not situated on the summit of Llanmadoc Hill.

Across from the Bulwark another hill-fort is visible, on Harding's Down. Between
them is Tonkinlake Moor. Tonkinlake Moor recieved it's name after a particularly
bloody engagement between the inhabitants of the hill-fort on Harding's Down and
those of the Bulwark. At this battle the leader of the Harding's Down inhabitants
is said to have been slain, and he is also said to have lain in a lake of blood. The
leader's name was Tankey, which gradually became Tonkin over the years, and
thus: Tonkinlake Moor.

For years the people of Gower lived relatively peacefully, farming or hunting to
survive. This didn't change with the coming of the Romans, unlike in many other
places. Gower was subdued in around 50ad, and was left largely untouched by
the Romans, who left few garrisons to look over the villagers of Gower, who
continued farming and hunting as they had for centuries.

Roman rule continued for many years until in around 400ad Barbarian attackers
began to cause problems for their rule in mainland Europe and many of the
garrisons in what was to become Britain were called back to protect Rome.
When this happened Britain, inlcuding Wales and Gower were left largely
unprotected from the Saxons, and then the Vikings who were growing in power at
that time.