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Hut Circle and Field System at Craiglaseithin is a prehistoric unenclosed hut circle protected by Cadw under reference ME169. The monument sits upon bedrock of Silurian age, formed from an unnamed igneous intrusion of felsic rock composition. This geological foundation of hard, crystalline stone would have presented both challenges and opportunities to prehistoric inhabitants seeking to establish a settlement in this Welsh landscape.
The hut circle represents a form of domestic occupation characteristic of prehistoric periods in Britain, where individual roundhouses formed the basis of settlement patterns. Unenclosed examples like this one, lacking associated defensive or stock-control boundaries, suggest occupation during periods when such structures were not deemed necessary. The felsic igneous bedrock underlying the site would have influenced construction techniques and the availability of stone for building.
The associated field system indicates that the settlement was integrated into a broader pattern of land use and agricultural activity. Such field systems, worked into the Welsh terrain, reflect the farming practices and territorial organisation of prehistoric communities. Together, the hut circle and field system provide evidence of how people adapted to and exploited this particular landscape during antiquity.
Hut Circle and Field System at Craiglaseithin is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME169. View the official record →
Hut Circle and Field System at Craiglaseithin is a prehistoric unenclosed hut circle protected by Cadw under reference ME169.
Hut Circle and Field System at Craiglaseithin dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a unenclosed hut circle. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Hut Circle and Field System at Craiglaseithin 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 ME169.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Enclosed Hut Circle Settlement at Ffridd Bodyfuddau (0.6 km), Roman Kilns 225m SE of Pen-y-Stryd (1.9 km), Maen Llwyd Standing Stones (2.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Hut Circle and Field System at Craiglaseithin'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.
Hut Circle and Field System at Craiglaseithin stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Ordovician To Silurian, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is felsic-rock.