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Carn Caws is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference BR355. The monument consists of a circular mound of stones raised over bedrock formed from Dinantian limestone, sandstone and argillaceous rocks laid down during the Mississippian period. Round cairns of this type typically date to the Bronze Age and served as burial monuments, though this example has not undergone significant modern excavation to establish precise chronology or internal structures.
The site's location on Dinantian bedrock would have presented particular challenges and opportunities for its builders. The underlying limestone and associated rocks would have provided suitable material for cairn construction, though quarrying stone from this geology requires significant effort. The mixed nature of the bedrock—combining harder limestone with softer sandstone and clay-rich argillaceous rocks—means the surrounding landscape offered varied stone sizes suitable for monument building.
Carn Caws represents a significant component of Wales's Bronze Age funerary archaeology. Its survival and formal protection reflect its importance as evidence for prehistoric burial practice and territorial identity in the region. The monument's specific form and location within its local landscape provide insights into how Bronze Age communities engaged with their environment and chose sites for their dead.
Carn Caws round cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR355. View the official record →
Carn Caws is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference BR355.
Carn Caws 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.
Carn Caws 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 BR355.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Trefil Tramroad (4.5 km), Twyn Bryn March round cairn (4.5 km), Twyn Ceilog Round Cairn (4.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Carn Caws 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.
Carn Caws round cairn stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.