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Bancbryn cairn cemetery [east] is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CM335. The monument sits upon bedrock of the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, a geological sequence deposited during the Westphalian period that comprises mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete. This substantial underlying geology would have presented ancient builders with both challenges and resources as they constructed their ceremonial structures.
Round cairns of this type were typically raised during the Bronze Age as burial or ceremonial monuments, constructed by heaping stone over a central grave or ritual deposit. The eastern cairn at Bancbryn forms part of a cemetery—a clustering of such monuments that reflects concentrated funerary activity in a particular locality over a span of generations.
The survival of Bancbryn cairn cemetery [east] as a scheduled monument demonstrates the archaeological importance of cairn groups in understanding prehistoric settlement patterns, social organisation and burial practice in Wales. Its location within the Coal Measures geology characterises the upland landscape where such monuments were frequently positioned, overlooking lower-lying settlement areas.
Bancbryn cairn cemetery [east] is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM335. View the official record →
Bancbryn cairn cemetery [east] is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CM335.
Bancbryn cairn cemetery [east] 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.
Bancbryn cairn cemetery [east] 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 CM335.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Burial Chamber Nr Carn Llechart (3.7 km), Ring Cairn on Tor Clawdd (4.2 km), Cae Castell (Rhyndwyclydach Medieval Earthwork) (5.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Bancbryn cairn cemetery [east]'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.
Bancbryn cairn cemetery [east] stands on South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.