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Esclusham Mountain Cairn, Minera is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference DE196. The monument stands on bedrock of the Millstone Grit Group, a formation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down during the Namurian period. This geological setting is typical of the upland terrain of north Wales, where such stone-built structures were constructed by prehistoric communities to mark burial or ceremonial sites.
Round cairns of this type date broadly to the Bronze Age, representing a distinctive monument form across British and Irish uplands. Built from locally gathered stone, they served as enduring markers in the landscape, often containing burial chambers or deposits beneath their mounds. The Millstone Grit bedrock would have provided readily available stone for construction, though the weathered and fractured nature of such deposits typically required substantial effort to gather suitable blocks.
The cairn's survival into the modern period reflects both the durability of stone construction and the relative remoteness of Esclusham Mountain, which has afforded some protection from agricultural improvement and development. As a scheduled monument under Cadw's stewardship, it remains an important record of prehistoric settlement and ritual practice in this region of Wales.
Esclusham Mountain Cairn, Minera is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference DE196. View the official record →
Esclusham Mountain Cairn, Minera is a prehistoric round cairn situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference DE196.
Esclusham Mountain Cairn, Minera 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.
Esclusham Mountain Cairn, Minera 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 DE196.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Offa's Dyke: Section SW from Tatham Bridge (8.3 km), Wynnstay Colliery Walker Fan House (8.5 km), Wynnstay Colliery Winding Engine House (8.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Esclusham Mountain Cairn, Minera'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.
Esclusham Mountain Cairn, Minera stands on Millstone Grit Group [See Also Migr], bedrock that formed in the Namurian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.