Scheduled MonumentsWalesGilfach-Fach Round Barrow
Prehistoric · Round Barrow

Gilfach-Fach Round Barrow

Carmarthenshire, Wales
Cadw SAM CM115
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Round Barrow
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM CM115
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1951-07-05
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Gilfach-Fach Round Barrow is a prehistoric round barrow located in Wales and protected by Cadw under the reference CM115. The monument sits upon bedrock of Ashgill Rocks, an undifferentiated sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formed during the Ashgill period of the Ordovician. This geology provides a solid foundation of ancient sedimentary stone beneath the earthwork.

Round barrows were constructed throughout the Bronze Age as burial monuments, typically serving as interment places for individuals of status within their communities. The mound form allowed for repeated use over time, with successive deposits placed within or upon the structure. The Ashgill bedrock underlying the site would have been exposed or relatively near the surface when the barrow was constructed, offering stable ground for building.

The monument's preservation under Cadw protection reflects its archaeological significance as evidence of prehistoric burial practice and social organisation in Wales. The site contributes to our understanding of Bronze Age communities and their relationship with the landscape they inhabited, whilst the underlying Ordovician geology connects the monument to the deep geological history of the Welsh landscape.

Gilfach-Fach Round Barrow is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM115. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Gilfach-Fach Round Barrow?

Gilfach-Fach Round Barrow is a prehistoric round barrow located in Wales and protected by Cadw under the reference CM115.

What period does Gilfach-Fach Round Barrow date from?

Gilfach-Fach Round Barrow dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a round barrow. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Gilfach-Fach Round Barrow?

Gilfach-Fach Round Barrow 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 CM115.

What other scheduled monuments are near Gilfach-Fach Round Barrow?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ffos-y-Maen Standing Stone (4.7 km), Bwlch-Bychan Round Barrow (5.3 km), Defended Enclosure 300m W of Pen y Gar (5.5 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Gilfach-Fach Round Barrow

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Gilfach-Fach Round Barrow'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 Gilfach-Fach Round Barrow

Gilfach-Fach Round Barrow stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.