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Cefn y Cist Cairn is a prehistoric round barrow situated in Wales on Dinantian limestone bedrock. The monument sits upon geology dominated by undifferentiated limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks, formations laid down during the Mississippian period. This stone-rich landscape would have made barrow construction feasible, with local materials readily available for the substantial earthwork or stone mound that characterised such burial monuments.
Round barrows of this type typically date to the Bronze Age and served as burial places for individuals of status within their communities. The name Cefn y Cist—meaning "ridge of the chest" or "ridge of the stone cist"—suggests the presence of a stone burial chamber, a feature common to barrows in this region. Such monuments often contained cremated or inhumed remains, sometimes accompanied by grave goods reflecting the deceased's wealth and social standing.
Cefn y Cist Cairn is now protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage monuments authority, under reference DE269. This designation ensures the preservation of this Bronze Age burial site for future study and public access, safeguarding an important element of Wales's prehistoric archaeological heritage and the landscape history of the area.
Cefn y Cist Cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference DE269. View the official record →
Cefn y Cist Cairn is a prehistoric round barrow situated in Wales on Dinantian limestone bedrock. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference DE269.
Cefn y Cist Cairn dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a round barrow. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Cefn y Cist 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 DE269.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Castell Dinas Bran (5.8 km), Pen y Gaer Hillfort (6.1 km), Llangollen Bridge (6.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cefn y Cist 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.
Cefn y Cist Cairn stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.