Scheduled MonumentsWalesCwm Henwen round barrow
Prehistoric · Round Cairn

Cwm Henwen round barrow

Breconshire, Wales
Cadw SAM BR347
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Round Cairn
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM BR347
Authority
Cadw
Designated
2006-09-26
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Cwm Henwen round barrow is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales, built upon bedrock of Pridoli rocks composed of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. The monument sits in a landscape shaped by these ancient sedimentary deposits, typical of upland Welsh terrain. Round barrows of this type were constructed during the Bronze Age as burial monuments, their circular earthen or stone mounds marking the graves of individuals of status within their communities. The cairn form—built from accumulated stone rather than soil—reflects adaptation to the local geology and would have been visible across the surrounding moorland as a prominent marker in the landscape.

The monument is now protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage agency, and is recorded under reference BR347. This protection ensures preservation of the barrow's archaeological integrity for future study and public access. Round barrows remain among the most numerous and distinctive monuments of Bronze Age Britain and Wales, their distribution across the landscape providing evidence of prehistoric settlement patterns and social organisation across the uplands.

Cwm Henwen round barrow is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR347. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cwm Henwen round barrow?

Cwm Henwen round barrow is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales, built upon bedrock of Pridoli rocks composed of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR347.

What period does Cwm Henwen round barrow date from?

Cwm Henwen round barrow 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.

Who is responsible for protecting Cwm Henwen round barrow?

Cwm Henwen round barrow 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 BR347.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cwm Henwen round barrow?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Stone Setting on Waun Llwyd (5.5 km), Twyn yr Esgair Settlement (6.3 km), Two Cairns on Fan Foel (7.4 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Cwm Henwen round barrow

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cwm Henwen round barrow's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Cwm Henwen round barrow

Cwm Henwen round barrow stands on Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Pridoli. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.