Scheduled MonumentsWalesDrygarn Fach round cairn
Prehistoric · Round Cairn

Drygarn Fach round cairn

Breconshire, Wales
Cadw SAM BR369
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Round Cairn
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM BR369
Authority
Cadw
Designated
2007-03-09
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Drygarn Fach round cairn is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference BR369. The monument sits upon bedrock of Llandovery Rocks, an undifferentiated sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formed during the Llandovery period. This geological foundation would have provided a firm base for the cairn's construction, with the local stone available for building the characteristic mound of stones that defines the monument type.

Round cairns of this form typically date to the Bronze Age, serving as burial monuments for individual or family groups within prehistoric communities. The construction of such cairns was a labour-intensive undertaking, requiring the gathering and stacking of stone to create a visible, durable marker across the landscape. The monument's survival to the present day demonstrates the effectiveness of this building method in withstanding the Welsh climate and natural processes.

Drygarn Fach represents an important archaeological record of prehistoric funerary practice in Wales. The monument forms part of a wider distribution of similar structures across the Welsh uplands, reflecting the settlement patterns and ceremonial practices of Bronze Age communities. Its protected status ensures that the site remains available for archaeological study and contributes to our understanding of prehistoric Wales.

Drygarn Fach round cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR369. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Drygarn Fach round cairn?

Drygarn Fach round cairn is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference BR369.

What period does Drygarn Fach round cairn date from?

Drygarn Fach 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.

Who is responsible for protecting Drygarn Fach round cairn?

Drygarn Fach 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 BR369.

What other scheduled monuments are near Drygarn Fach round cairn?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Esgair Irfon round cairn (2.3 km), Castell Llygoden platform cairn (4.4 km), Banc Paderau Round Cairn (4.6 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Drygarn Fach round cairn

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Drygarn Fach round cairn'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 Drygarn Fach round cairn

Drygarn Fach round cairn stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.