Scheduled MonumentsWalesGribin Oernant Cairn
Prehistoric · Round Barrow

Gribin Oernant Cairn

Denbighshire, Wales
Cadw SAM DE271
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Round Barrow
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM DE271
Authority
Cadw
Designated
2000-08-02
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Gribin Oernant Cairn is a prehistoric round barrow located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference DE271. The monument sits upon bedrock of Ludlow age, formed from mudstone, siltstone and sandstone deposits that underlie the surrounding landscape. Round barrows of this type were constructed during the Bronze Age as burial mounds, typically raised over inhumation or cremation graves and serving as prominent territorial markers on the prehistoric horizon.

The cairn's construction would have drawn on stone available from its immediate locality, working with the underlying geology to create a durable monument. The Ludlow bedrock, formed in shallow marine conditions during the Palaeozoic era, weathered into fragments suitable for cairn building. Such monuments frequently commanded views across valleys and ridgeways, serving both practical and ceremonial functions within Bronze Age communities.

Today Gribin Oernant Cairn survives as a testament to prehistoric burial practice and engineering. Its preservation under Cadw protection ensures that this ancient monument remains available for study and public access, maintaining the archaeological record of Bronze Age Wales and contributing to understanding of funerary tradition across the region.

Gribin Oernant Cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference DE271. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Gribin Oernant Cairn?

Gribin Oernant Cairn is a prehistoric round barrow located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference DE271.

What period does Gribin Oernant Cairn date from?

Gribin Oernant Cairn 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 Gribin Oernant Cairn?

Gribin Oernant 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 DE271.

What other scheduled monuments are near Gribin Oernant Cairn?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Eliseg's Pillar & Tumulus (3.4 km), Valle Crucis Abbey (3.8 km), Creigiau Eglwyseg Cairn (5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Gribin Oernant Cairn

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Gribin Oernant 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 Gribin Oernant Cairn

Gribin Oernant Cairn stands on Ludlow Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ludlow. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.