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Banc Ystrad-wen cairn cemetery is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled ancient monument under reference BR094. The site rests upon Ashgill bedrock, comprised of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone deposits formed during the Ashgill period of the Ordovician era. This geological foundation would have influenced both the construction methods available to prehistoric builders and the landscape's suitability for burial practices during the Neolithic or Bronze Age.
Round cairns of this type served as monumental burial structures, constructed by stacking stones gathered from the surrounding terrain. The cemetery designation suggests multiple burial episodes or structures, indicating repeated use of this location for funerary purposes across generations. Such clustering of cairns reflects the significance of particular landscape locations in prehistoric society, often marked by natural topographic prominence or visibility.
The monument preserves evidence of burial customs and construction practices from the distant past, offering insight into prehistoric communities' relationship with the landscape and their treatment of the dead. Its survival to the present day, protected under Welsh heritage legislation, allows continued study and appreciation of this important archaeological site.
Banc Ystrad-wen cairn cemetery is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR094. View the official record →
Banc Ystrad-wen cairn cemetery is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled ancient monument under reference BR094.
Banc Ystrad-wen cairn cemetery dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a round cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Banc Ystrad-wen cairn cemetery 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 BR094.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cefn Ty-Mawr (3.8 km), Ringwork near Coed Ty-Mawr (3.9 km), Earthworks SW of Church (6.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Banc Ystrad-wen cairn cemetery'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.
Banc Ystrad-wen cairn cemetery stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.