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Cilberllan ring cairn is a prehistoric circular stone monument consisting of a central cairn surrounded by a ring of stones. Located in Wales, it represents a funerary or ceremonial structure built during the Bronze Age, when such monuments were constructed across upland regions of Britain. The cairn's placement on Ordovician bedrock—specifically mafic tuff formed during the volcanic activity of the Ordovician period—reflects the monument builders' use of locally available geology. This volcanic stone would have been quarried or gathered from the surrounding landscape to construct the cairn's rubble core and outer ring.
Ring cairns of this type typically served as burial monuments, though some may have possessed ceremonial significance. The concentric arrangement of stones is a characteristic feature of Bronze Age funerary architecture found across Wales and the wider Celtic regions. The site's location in upland terrain was typical for such monuments, which were often placed on ridges or elevated ground where they would remain visible across the landscape.
Cilberllan ring cairn is now protected by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments Service, under reference RD226. This statutory protection ensures the preservation of this important archaeological site for future study and public appreciation.
Cilberllan ring cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD226. View the official record →
Cilberllan ring cairn is a prehistoric circular stone monument consisting of a central cairn surrounded by a ring of stones. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference RD226.
Cilberllan 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.
Cilberllan 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 RD226.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Llwyn-y-wrach standing stone (5.1 km), Aberedw Castle (7 km), Aberedw Castle Mound (7.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cilberllan ring 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.
Cilberllan ring cairn stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is mafic tuff.