© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Cwmbrith Round Cairn is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference RD156. The monument sits upon bedrock of Ordovician mafic tuff, an extrusive igneous rock formed over 450 million years ago during the Ordovician period. This volcanic geology would have been visible to prehistoric builders as exposed rock outcrops across the surrounding landscape.
Round cairns of this type typically date to the Bronze Age and served as burial monuments, their stone construction designed to mark the final resting place of individuals of significance within their communities. The specific location at Cwmbrith, positioned on this distinctive volcanic bedrock, suggests the builders may have chosen the site for both its elevated position and the ready availability of stone from the underlying geology.
The cairn remains an important record of prehistoric settlement and burial practices in Wales. Its survival and protection reflect the archaeological importance of such monuments in understanding Bronze Age communities and their relationship with the Welsh landscape. The Ordovician volcanic rocks beneath the cairn form part of the broader geological framework that shaped human activity in this region during prehistory.
Cwmbrith Round Cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD156. View the official record →
Cwmbrith Round Cairn is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference RD156.
Cwmbrith 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.
Cwmbrith 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 RD156.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cwmblaenerw Enclosed Long Hut (8.4 km), Penarth Mount Castle Mound (8.7 km), Castell Cae-Maerdy Castle Mound (9.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cwmbrith 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.
Cwmbrith Round Cairn stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is mafic tuff.