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Blaen Glasffrwd cairn cemetery is a prehistoric burial site in Wales comprising multiple cairns built on bedrock of Llandovery sandstone and conglomerate. The underlying geology, with its interbedded layers of resistant stone, provided accessible stone for monument construction. The cemetery's location on this solid geological foundation ensured the long-term survival of the burial structures across millennia.
The site represents a significant concentration of prehistoric funerary activity, with multiple cairns indicating use over an extended period. Such cairn cemeteries typically developed in upland and moorland settings where stone was readily available and where communities established established family or communal burial grounds. The cemetery form suggests organised burial practice among prehistoric Welsh communities, reflecting their settlement patterns and territorial organisation.
The monument is protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage preservation agency, under reference CD138, recognising its archaeological importance. Cairn cemeteries of this type provide essential evidence for understanding prehistoric Welsh burial practices, social organisation and landscape use. The site's preservation contributes to the archaeological record of prehistoric Wales and the broader understanding of Neolithic and Bronze Age societies in Britain.
Blaen Glasffrwd cairn cemetery is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD138. View the official record →
Blaen Glasffrwd cairn cemetery is a prehistoric burial site in Wales comprising multiple cairns built on bedrock of Llandovery sandstone and conglomerate. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CD138.
Blaen Glasffrwd cairn cemetery dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a cairn cemetery. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Blaen Glasffrwd 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 CD138.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Blaen Camddwr Round Cairn (4.4 km), Nantymaen Standing Stone (4.6 km), Cefncerrig Round Cairn (4.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Blaen Glasffrwd 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.
Blaen Glasffrwd cairn cemetery stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.