Scheduled MonumentsWalesCefn Cul ring cairn
Prehistoric · Ring Cairn

Cefn Cul ring cairn

Breconshire, Wales
Cadw SAM BR335
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Ring Cairn
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM BR335
Authority
Cadw
Designated
2006-02-27
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Cefn Cul ring cairn is a prehistoric funerary monument situated in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference BR335. Ring cairns of this type were constructed during the Bronze Age and typically served as cremation burial sites, their circular stone structures marking places of ritual significance within the landscape. The monument comprises a ring of stones arranged around a central area, a form characteristic of funerary practices across prehistoric Britain and Ireland.

The cairn is constructed upon bedrock composed of Lower Devonian rocks—interbedded sandstone and conglomerate laid down during the Early Devonian period. This geology has shaped the local landscape and provided the stone material available to Bronze Age communities for constructing such monuments. The underlying geology, combined with the surrounding terrain, would have influenced both the choice of location and the practical construction of the cairn.

Ring cairns remain important archaeological witnesses to prehistoric burial customs and land use in Wales. Though many such monuments have been subject to later disturbance or stone robbing, Cefn Cul survives as evidence of Bronze Age funerary tradition and the enduring significance of certain locations in the Welsh landscape. Its protection reflects the archaeological value of these structures in understanding prehistoric communities and their relationship with the land.

Cefn Cul ring cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR335. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cefn Cul ring cairn?

Cefn Cul ring cairn is a prehistoric funerary monument situated in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference BR335.

What period does Cefn Cul ring cairn date from?

Cefn Cul 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.

Who is responsible for protecting Cefn Cul ring cairn?

Cefn Cul 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 BR335.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cefn Cul ring cairn?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cribarth Limestone Quarries and Tramroads (5.1 km), Pillow Mounds at Pant Mawr (6.3 km), Round Cairn NW of Blaen-Nedd Isaf (6.6 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Cefn Cul ring cairn

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cefn Cul ring cairn's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Cefn Cul ring cairn

Cefn Cul ring cairn stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.