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Ergyd Isaf Round Barrows is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference GM160. The monument sits upon bedrock of the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, deposited during the Westphalian period. This geological sequence comprises layers of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone interspersed with coal seams, ironstone and ferricrete, which would have influenced both the landscape's appearance and the materials available to those who constructed the cairn.
Round cairns of this type typically date to the Bronze Age and served as burial monuments for prominent members of prehistoric communities. Their construction required substantial labour and planning, suggesting their builders held significant social standing. The choice of location at Ergyd Isaf reflects the careful site selection practised by Bronze Age peoples, often positioning such monuments on elevated or prominent ground where they would be visible across the surrounding landscape.
The survival of this monument to the present day, despite its exposure to Wales's wet climate and the intensive land use that has characterised the region for millennia, demonstrates the robustness of cairn construction. The underlying Coal Measures geology would have provided stone suitable for building, whilst the local terrain and vegetation would have shaped how the monument was perceived and used by subsequent generations.
Ergyd Isaf Round Barrows is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM160. View the official record →
Ergyd Isaf Round Barrows is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference GM160.
Ergyd Isaf Round Barrows 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.
Ergyd Isaf Round Barrows 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 GM160.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Wrecking site of the Ann Francis (4.2 km), Camp 530m E of Tonmawr (4.4 km), Ty'n-y-Cellar Standing Stone (5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Ergyd Isaf Round Barrows'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.
Ergyd Isaf Round Barrows stands on South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.