© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Cefn Penagored Ridge Cairns is a prehistoric kerb cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference DE256. Kerb cairns are Bronze Age monuments consisting of a central burial mound enclosed by a ring of upright stones, reflecting the burial practices and social structures of Britain's metal-working communities. This example sits upon bedrock formed from a mafic igneous intrusion of Silurian age, part of the complex volcanic geology underlying much of Wales. The underlying geology of hard, crystalline rock would have presented significant challenges to the builders, who nonetheless selected this ridge location for the monument's construction.
The exposed igneous bedrock of Silurian origin gives the landscape of Cefn Penagored Ridge its distinctive character, with resistant stone naturally available at or near the surface. This geological setting is typical of upland Welsh terrain, where Bronze Age communities established burial monuments in prominent positions across the landscape. Such ridge-top locations offered both practical access to stone and symbolic prominence within the prehistoric settlement pattern.
The kerb cairn represents a burial tradition spanning roughly the second millennium BC, when communities marked the graves of significant individuals with stone monuments. The survival of Cefn Penagored Ridge Cairns as a scheduled monument preserves evidence of Bronze Age funerary practice and the relationship between prehistoric peoples and their upland environment.
Cefn Penagored Ridge Cairns is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference DE256. View the official record →
Cefn Penagored Ridge Cairns is a prehistoric kerb cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference DE256.
Cefn Penagored Ridge Cairns dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a kerb cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cefn Penagored Ridge Cairns 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 DE256.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Afon Disgynfa Cairn (4.8 km), Craig Ty Glas Kerb Cairn (6 km), Craig-y-Mwyn Lead Mine (6.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cefn Penagored Ridge Cairns'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.
Cefn Penagored Ridge Cairns stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Ordovician To Silurian, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is mafic igneous-rock.