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Carn Wen is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled ancient monument under reference CM340. The cairn sits upon bedrock comprising the Ashgill Rocks, a formation of undifferentiated mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down during the Ashgill period of the Ordovician. This solid geology would have provided a stable foundation for the monument's construction.
Round cairns of this type were typically built during the Bronze Age as burial monuments, with stone heaped over inhumed remains. The underlying geology of Ashgill strata—readily accessible locally—would have supplied much of the stone used in the cairn's construction. The monument's survival to the present day reflects both the durability of its stone composition and the protective landscape of its Welsh setting.
The cairn remains an important archaeological record of prehistoric funerary practice and settlement patterns in the region. Its designation under Cadw's protection ensures continued preservation of this Bronze Age monument, contributing to understanding of burial customs and territorial organisation in prehistoric Wales.
Carn Wen round cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM340. View the official record →
Carn Wen is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled ancient monument under reference CM340.
Carn Wen 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 Wen 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 CM340.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bryn-Poeth-Uchaf, ring cairn to NE of (1 km), Stone Circle 200m SW of Cerrig Cynant (1.2 km), Nant-y-Mwyn Lead Mine Engine House, Rhandir-Mwyn (1.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Carn Wen 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 Wen round cairn stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.