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Hut Circle Settlement at Crawcwellt South is a prehistoric settlement comprising remains of circular dwellings built on lower slopes of exposed bedrock. The site lies on Lower Cambrian sandstone and conglomerate, which would have provided natural drainage and stone for construction. Such settlements are characteristic of Bronze Age or Iron Age occupation in upland Wales, where communities established permanent or semi-permanent homesteads suited to pastoral economies.
The hut circles at Crawcwellt South follow the typical pattern of Welsh prehistoric settlements, with circular stone-built structures arranged across the landscape. The underlying geology of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate would have been readily quarried for walling, and the solid bedrock beneath would have offered stability and protection from seasonal flooding. The local stone naturally fractures into usable blocks, a practical advantage for construction in this period.
Protected as a scheduled monument under Cadw reference ME171, the settlement survives as earthwork remains and stone foundations. Such sites are invaluable for understanding settlement patterns, land use, and domestic life in prehistoric Wales. The positioning of the hut circles relative to the local topography and geology illustrates how ancient communities adapted to their immediate environment, selecting locations that balanced resource availability, drainage, and defendability.
Hut Circle Settlement at Crawcwellt South is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME171. View the official record →
Hut Circle Settlement at Crawcwellt South is a prehistoric settlement comprising remains of circular dwellings built on lower slopes of exposed bedrock. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference ME171.
Hut Circle Settlement at Crawcwellt South dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a hut circle settlement. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Hut Circle Settlement at Crawcwellt South 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 ME171.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Berth-Llwyd & Cefn Coch Gold Mining Complex (6.3 km), Cefn Coch Cairn and Cist (7.7 km), Glasdir Copper and Gold Mine Mill (7.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Hut Circle Settlement at Crawcwellt South'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 Settlement at Crawcwellt South stands on Lower Cambrian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Cambrian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.