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Gwernfach round cairn is a prehistoric circular burial monument situated in Wales on bedrock composed of mafic igneous rock belonging to an Ordovician to Silurian intrusion. The cairn represents a form of funerary architecture widespread across Bronze Age Britain and Ireland, constructed from stone gathered from the surrounding landscape. Such monuments typically contained inhumed or cremated remains, often accompanied by pottery vessels and metalwork, though individual burials at Gwernfach are not documented.
The monument's position atop igneous bedrock would have presented specific challenges and opportunities for its builders. The solid volcanic stone of the underlying geology may have limited the depth to which burial pits could be excavated, potentially influencing the monument's construction method and scale. The availability of stone from this geological formation would have provided suitable material for cairn construction without requiring transport over significant distances.
Gwernfach round cairn is protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Cadw, the Welsh heritage organisation, under reference RD227. This designation recognises its importance as evidence of prehistoric funerary practice and settlement patterns in Wales during the Bronze Age. The monument survives as a tangible record of ritual and social organisation among Wales's earliest farming communities.
Gwernfach round cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD227. View the official record →
Gwernfach round cairn is a prehistoric circular burial monument situated in Wales on bedrock composed of mafic igneous rock belonging to an Ordovician to Silurian intrusion. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference RD227.
Gwernfach round cairn 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.
Gwernfach round 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 RD227.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Aberedw Hill Deserted Rural Settlement (7 km), Cefn Wylfre Deserted Rural Settlement (7.2 km), Aberedw Hill Round Barrows (7.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Gwernfach round cairn'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.
Gwernfach round cairn stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Ordovician To Silurian, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is mafic igneous-rock.