© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Early Fields and Dwellings near Maen-y-Bardd is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales, protected by Cadw as a scheduled ancient monument. The site lies upon Ordovician bedrock comprising felsic tuff, part of the unnamed extrusive rocks formed during that ancient period when volcanic activity shaped this region of Britain. This geological foundation would have presented both opportunities and constraints for the prehistoric communities who occupied the site.
The enclosure represents evidence of early agricultural settlement, combining both domestic and agricultural spaces within a defined boundary. Such enclosures typically date to the Bronze Age or earlier Iron Age, though the specific chronology here remains to be firmly established. The combination of dwellings and field systems indicates a community engaged in mixed farming, exploiting the local landscape for both livestock and crops.
The monument survives as earthworks within the modern landscape, preserving the imprint of prehistoric land use and settlement patterns. Its protection by Cadw recognises the importance of such sites in understanding how early farming communities organised their environment and structured their domestic lives. The rocky terrain of the Ordovician substrate would have required considerable effort to clear and work, testament to the determination of those who chose to establish their settlement here.
Early Fields and Dwellings near Maen-y-Bardd is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN157. View the official record →
Early Fields and Dwellings near Maen-y-Bardd is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales, protected by Cadw as a scheduled ancient monument.
Early Fields and Dwellings near Maen-y-Bardd dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a enclosure. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Early Fields and Dwellings near Maen-y-Bardd 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 CN157.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Clogwyn yr Eryr Deserted Rural Settlement (5.6 km), Cae Du platform cairn (5.8 km), Pant y Griafolen Huts and Enclosures (6.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Early Fields and Dwellings near Maen-y-Bardd'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.
Early Fields and Dwellings near Maen-y-Bardd stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is felsic tuff.