© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Bedd-y-Brenin Round Cairn is a prehistoric burial monument constructed on bedrock of Ordovician extrusive rocks in Wales. The site rests upon mafic lava and tuff formations laid down during the Ordovician period, creating a landscape of volcanic geology that has endured for nearly 500 million years. This geological foundation would have been exposed or thinly covered when the cairn was built, providing a sturdy base for construction and marking a significant location in the Bronze Age or earlier Neolithic settlement pattern.
Round cairns of this type typically date between the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods and served as burial monuments for individuals or small family groups. The construction method, involving the deliberate mounding of stones over a central burial deposit, was a widespread practice across Britain and Ireland during these prehistoric eras. Such monuments often held ritual significance beyond their primary funerary function and frequently marked territorial boundaries or gathering places.
Bedd-y-Brenin Round Cairn is now protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments authority, under reference ME102. This designation recognises its importance as a surviving record of prehistoric burial practices and its contribution to understanding early settlement and land use in Wales. The cairn remains a tangible link to the Neolithic and Bronze Age communities that shaped the Welsh landscape.
Bedd-y-Brenin Round Cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME102. View the official record →
Bedd-y-Brenin Round Cairn is a prehistoric burial monument constructed on bedrock of Ordovician extrusive rocks in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference ME102.
Bedd-y-Brenin Round Cairn 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.
Bedd-y-Brenin Round Cairn 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 ME102.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Allt Lwyd Bronze Age Ritual Complex (4.3 km), Craig yr Aderyn Hillfort (4.7 km), Alltwyllt Slate Quarry Incline (6.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Bedd-y-Brenin Round Cairn'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.
Bedd-y-Brenin Round Cairn stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.