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Craig y Llyn Mawr Round Cairn is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument. The structure sits upon bedrock of Wenlock age rocks, a formation of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate that dates to the Silurian period. This underlying geology would have determined both the character of stone available for construction and the drainage of the site, factors central to the monument's survival and original function.
The cairn belongs to the Bronze Age tradition of round mound burial that flourished across upland Wales during the second millennium BC. Round cairns served as communal or individual burial monuments, with internal chambers or cists containing cremated or inhumed remains, often accompanied by grave goods. The presence of such monuments across the Welsh landscape testifies to the importance of ritual commemoration and territorial expression among prehistoric communities.
Today, Craig y Llyn Mawr remains a physical marker of ancient settlement and belief in the Welsh countryside. Though likely subject to stone robbing and erosion over millennia, its survival as a scheduled monument ensures continued protection and the possibility of future investigation. The site contributes to our understanding of prehistoric funerary practice and the distribution of Bronze Age communities across upland terrain.
Craig y Llyn Mawr Round Cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MG277. View the official record →
Craig y Llyn Mawr Round Cairn is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MG277.
Craig y Llyn Mawr Round 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.
Craig y Llyn Mawr Round 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 MG277.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Caersws Roman road (6.5 km), Caersws Roman Site (6.9 km), Caersws Roman Fort: Section of South Western Defences (7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Craig y Llyn Mawr Round 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.
Craig y Llyn Mawr Round Cairn stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.