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Carnedd Llewelyn cairn is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales, built upon bedrock composed of Ordovician extrusive rocks, specifically mafic lava formed during the Ordovician period. The volcanic foundation of dark, dense stone would have been a distinctive feature of the landscape available to those who constructed this monument in the Bronze Age.
The cairn is a substantial mound of stacked stone raised over a burial or ceremonial deposit, typical of round cairn monuments found across Wales and the wider British Isles. Its positioning upon volcanic bedrock reflects the practical reality of prehistoric monument builders, who worked with the geology immediately at hand rather than transporting materials across distance.
The cairn is protected by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments authority, under reference CN371, ensuring its preservation and legal protection. As a surviving example of prehistoric funerary architecture, it contributes to our understanding of burial practices and settlement patterns in ancient Wales, though the specific details of its construction and use remain to be fully documented through archaeological investigation.
Carnedd Llewelyn cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN371. View the official record →
Carnedd Llewelyn cairn is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales, built upon bedrock composed of Ordovician extrusive rocks, specifically mafic lava formed during the Ordovician period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CN371.
Carnedd Llewelyn 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.
Carnedd Llewelyn 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 CN371.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Huts and Enclosures SE of Glan Llugwy (3.8 km), Afon Bedol cairn and standing stone (4.2 km), Afon Bedol cist (4.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Carnedd Llewelyn 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.
Carnedd Llewelyn cairn stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is mafic lava.