Scheduled MonumentsWalesBlaen y Cwm Ring Cairn
Prehistoric · Ring Cairn

Blaen y Cwm Ring Cairn

Wales
Cadw SAM MG279
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Ring Cairn
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM MG279
Authority
Cadw
Designated
2002-02-25
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Blaen y Cwm Ring Cairn is a prehistoric ring cairn situated in Wales on bedrock of Wenlock age sandstone and conglomerate. The monument consists of a circular or near-circular arrangement of stones, a form characteristic of ritual or ceremonial monuments from the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. Ring cairns typically served as gathering places or markers of spiritual significance within the landscapes of prehistoric communities.

The site is constructed directly upon the interbedded sandstone and conglomerate geology of the Wenlock rocks, which provided locally available stone suitable for monument construction. This underlying geology would have shaped both the practical constraints and opportunities for those who built the cairn, determining the character and size of stones available for use.

The monument is protected and managed by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments authority, under reference MG279, ensuring its preservation for future study and public understanding. Ring cairns remain important archaeological features for understanding how prehistoric populations organised ritual space and marked significant places within the Welsh landscape.

Blaen y Cwm Ring Cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MG279. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Blaen y Cwm Ring Cairn?

Blaen y Cwm Ring Cairn is a prehistoric ring cairn situated in Wales on bedrock of Wenlock age sandstone and conglomerate. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MG279.

What period does Blaen y Cwm Ring Cairn date from?

Blaen y Cwm Ring Cairn dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a ring cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Blaen y Cwm Ring Cairn?

Blaen y Cwm Ring 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 MG279.

What other scheduled monuments are near Blaen y Cwm Ring Cairn?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bryn y Gadair round cairn (5 km), Esgair Draenllwyn Round Cairn I (7 km), Caersws Roman road (7.4 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Blaen y Cwm Ring Cairn

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Blaen y Cwm Ring Cairn's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Blaen y Cwm Ring Cairn

Blaen y Cwm Ring Cairn stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

The wider landscape

Around Blaen y Cwm Ring Cairn

Offa's DykeArchaeological site · ~19.8 miles