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Aberedw Hill Deserted Rural Settlement is a post-medieval longhouse sited on the gentle slopes above the Edw valley in Wales. Built upon bedrock of Ludlow rocks—primarily mudstone, siltstone and sandstone deposited during the Ludlow epoch—the settlement occupies land characteristic of the upland farming regions of mid-Wales. The structure represents a common dwelling type of the post-medieval period, when such longhouses served both domestic and agricultural functions under a single roof.
The longhouse plan, with integrated cattle byre and living quarters, reflects the practical building traditions of rural Welsh communities during this era. Archaeological evidence of similar settlements across Wales indicates these were working farms operated by tenant farmers or smallholders, who adapted their buildings to local materials and climate. The Ludlow bedrock underlying the site would have provided stone for construction and has weathered to create soils suitable for pastoral agriculture.
The settlement now survives as earthworks and structural remains, testament to changes in rural settlement patterns and agricultural practices over subsequent centuries. Designated and protected by Cadw under reference RD166, the site preserves evidence of domestic and economic life in post-medieval rural Wales. Its abandonment reflects the broader transformations that affected Welsh upland communities from the early modern period onwards.
Aberedw Hill Deserted Rural Settlement is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD166. View the official record →
Aberedw Hill Deserted Rural Settlement is a post-medieval longhouse sited on the gentle slopes above the Edw valley in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference RD166.
Aberedw Hill Deserted Rural Settlement dates from the post medieval/modern period, and is classified as a longhouse. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Aberedw Hill Deserted Rural Settlement is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is RD166.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Twyn y Garth Round Barrows (6.7 km), Gwenddwr Deserted Village (6.8 km), Crickadarn Camp (7.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Aberedw Hill Deserted Rural Settlement's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Aberedw Hill Deserted Rural Settlement stands on Ludlow Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ludlow. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.