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Carn y Hyrddod & Neighbouring Cairn is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference GM243. The monument sits upon bedrock of the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, laid down during the Westphalian period and comprising mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete. This geology shaped the local landscape and influenced the availability of stone for cairn construction.
Round cairns of this type typically date to the Bronze Age and served as burial monuments, often marking the graves of individuals of status within their communities. The stacked stone mounds would have been conspicuous landmarks visible across the surrounding terrain, emphasising the importance of the deceased and their kin group.
The monument's survival into the present day, despite centuries of agricultural activity and land management in the Welsh uplands, testifies to its original solid construction. The presence of a neighbouring cairn suggests this location held particular significance during prehistory, possibly forming part of a wider ritual or burial landscape. Such clustering of monuments is common in Bronze Age contexts and may indicate sustained use of a favoured site across generations.
Carn y Hyrddod & Neighbouring Cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM243. View the official record →
Carn y Hyrddod & Neighbouring Cairn is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference GM243.
Carn y Hyrddod & Neighbouring 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 y Hyrddod & Neighbouring 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 GM243.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cairn Lwyd (3.3 km), Round Cairn 567m East of Bryn Defaid (3.6 km), Croes y Bwlchgwyn Round Cairn (4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Carn y Hyrddod & Neighbouring 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 y Hyrddod & Neighbouring Cairn stands on South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.