© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Crug Bach is a prehistoric round barrow located in Wales. The monument sits upon bedrock of Ashgill Rocks, Undifferentiated formations comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone deposited during the Ashgill epoch. This stable geological foundation would have provided an appropriate base for the construction and long-term preservation of the earthwork. The barrow is protected by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments body, under the reference CD086.
Round barrows represent a characteristic funerary monument type of the Bronze Age, constructed as earth or stone mounds over burial deposits. Their presence across the Welsh landscape reflects prehistoric patterns of settlement and territorial organisation. Crug Bach's specific positioning on Ashgill-age bedrock is typical of barrow locations chosen for visibility and accessibility within the local topography, though the geological substrate at this site would have presented particular characteristics for construction and drainage.
The monument's survival and official protection recognise its archaeological significance as a tangible record of prehistoric burial practice and social structure. Understanding barrows like Crug Bach depends upon landscape-scale analysis alongside direct archaeological investigation. The site's relationship to surrounding terrain and its foundation geology contribute to our knowledge of how prehistoric communities selected locations for their most enduring monuments.
Crug Bach is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD086. View the official record →
Crug Bach is a prehistoric round barrow located in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CD086.
Crug Bach 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.
Crug Bach 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 CD086.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Dinas Cerdin (3.1 km), Gernos Mountain Round Barrow Cemetery (4.5 km), St Mary's Church / Llandyfriog Castle Mound (6.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Crug Bach'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.
Crug Bach stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.