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Bryn Llechwen ring cairn is a prehistoric ring cairn situated in Wales and protected by Cadw as monument BR327. The site occupies ground underlain by the Pennine and South Wales Middle Coal Measures Formation, a geological sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone deposits dating to the Moscovian period, interspersed with coal seams and ironstone. This substantial bedrock foundation would have influenced both the character of available stone for construction and the visible landscape in which the cairn was built.
Ring cairns represent a distinctive form of prehistoric funerary monument, typically comprising a rubble or stone bank arranged in a circular plan and often enclosing a central burial area. Such structures were commonly erected during the Bronze Age across upland regions of Britain and Wales, where stone was plentiful and the open terrain allowed for their prominent positioning in the landscape.
The monument's survival to the present day, combined with its official protection, reflects its archaeological significance as evidence of prehistoric burial practice and settlement patterns in Wales. The specific location at Bryn Llechwen, with its underlying geology of coal-measure rocks, provides a distinctive context for understanding how communities of the prehistoric period utilised and inhabited their local environment.
Bryn Llechwen ring cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR327. View the official record →
Bryn Llechwen ring cairn is a prehistoric ring cairn situated in Wales and protected by Cadw as monument BR327. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR327.
Bryn Llechwen 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.
Bryn Llechwen 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 BR327.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Carn Cornel Round Cairn (4.1 km), Coed Ddu house platforms and enclosure (4.1 km), Coed Ddu ring cairn (4.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Bryn Llechwen ring 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 Llechwen ring cairn stands on Pennine Middle Coal Measures Formation And South Wales Middle Coal Measures Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Moscovian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.