Scheduled MonumentsWalesGroes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System
Prehistoric · Enclosed hut circle

Groes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System

Meirionnydd, Wales
Cadw SAM ME095
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Enclosed hut circle
Broad class
Domestic
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM ME095
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1987-04-28
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Groes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System is a prehistoric enclosed hut circle situated on bedrock formed from Lower Cambrian mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. This geological foundation, laid down over 500 million years ago, provided a stable base for settlement during prehistory. The site occupies land in Wales and is protected by Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic monuments service, under the reference ME095.

The hut circle represents a domestic structure typical of prehistoric settlement patterns in Wales, where single or clustered circular buildings served as family dwellings. The enclosure suggests deliberate spatial organisation of the settlement, a practice common across prehistoric British communities. Such structures were traditionally constructed using timber frames and turf or stone, adapted to local materials and climate.

The associated field system indicates that inhabitants practised mixed agriculture, cultivating crops and herding livestock across the surrounding landscape. These organised field divisions demonstrate sophisticated land management and represent the earliest forms of agricultural settlement in the region. The preservation of both settlement and field boundaries as earthworks provides significant archaeological evidence for understanding prehistoric patterns of habitation and land use in Wales.

Groes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME095. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Groes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System?

Groes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System is a prehistoric enclosed hut circle situated on bedrock formed from Lower Cambrian mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference ME095.

What period does Groes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System date from?

Groes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a enclosed hut circle. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Groes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System?

Groes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System 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 ME095.

What other scheduled monuments are near Groes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Pen y Dinas Cairn (9.2 km), Enclosed Hut Circle North of Tyddyn Mawr (9.4 km), Hengwm Stone Circles (9.4 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Groes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Groes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System'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 Groes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System

Groes Las Prehistoric Settlement & Field System stands on Lower Cambrian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Cambrian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.