© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Bryn Dinas Cairn is a prehistoric round barrow located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference ME232. The monument sits upon bedrock of Llandovery age, composed of interbedded mudstone, siltstone and sandstone that would have formed approximately 440 million years ago during the Silurian period. This geological foundation provided the local stone available to the monument's builders during the Bronze Age or earlier prehistoric periods.
Round barrows of this type served as burial monuments for individuals of status within their communities, typically constructed over a single inhumation or cremation. The mound's construction would have involved substantial labour to gather and heap stone and soil, creating a prominent marker across the Welsh landscape. Such monuments often contained internal stone or timber structures to protect the burial deposit.
The barrow's survival to the present day reflects both its solid construction and its location in relatively undisturbed terrain. As a scheduled ancient monument, Bryn Dinas Cairn remains an important record of prehistoric burial practices and settlement patterns in Wales, contributing to understanding of Bronze Age communities and their relationship with the local landscape.
Bryn Dinas Cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME232. View the official record →
Bryn Dinas Cairn is a prehistoric round barrow located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference ME232.
Bryn Dinas Cairn dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a round barrow. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Bryn Dinas 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 ME232.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Dysyrnant Platform Cairn (1 km), Capel Maethlon round barrow (1.5 km), Domen Las (5.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Bryn Dinas 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.
Bryn Dinas Cairn stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.