© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Hafod y Garreg Deserted Rural Settlement is a medieval rectangular hut situated in Wales and protected by Cadw as monument CN320. The structure represents a common dwelling type of the medieval Welsh countryside, built as a simple rectangular stone or turf-built shelter typical of pastoral highland settlements. Such hafodau, or summer shelters, were seasonally occupied by herders and their livestock, forming part of the transhumance economy that characterized medieval Welsh land use.
The monument lies upon bedrock composed of a mafic igneous intrusion of Ordovician to Silurian age, formed during the Silurian period. This solid geological foundation, formed from ancient volcanic activity, would have provided firm ground suitable for settlement, though the surrounding upland landscape reflects the challenging terrain of medieval Welsh pastoral farming.
As a deserted rural settlement, Hafod y Garreg demonstrates the pattern of medieval Welsh settlement archaeology, where small, isolated dwellings mark territories used for transhumant herding. The abandonment of such sites reflects changing patterns of land use and settlement over subsequent centuries. Its protection by Cadw ensures this fragmentary but significant evidence of medieval Welsh rural life remains preserved for archaeological study and heritage interpretation.
Hafod y Garreg Deserted Rural Settlement is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN320. View the official record →
Hafod y Garreg Deserted Rural Settlement is a medieval rectangular hut situated in Wales and protected by Cadw as monument CN320. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CN320.
Hafod y Garreg Deserted Rural Settlement dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a rectangular hut. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Hafod y Garreg Deserted Rural Settlement 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 CN320.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Hut Settlement West of Allt Goch (5.3 km), Bwlch Cowlyd cairn (6.9 km), Afon Bedol cist (7.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Hafod y Garreg Deserted Rural Settlement'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.
Hafod y Garreg Deserted Rural Settlement stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Ordovician To Silurian, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is mafic igneous-rock.