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Hut Circle Settlement at Gelli Gonan is a prehistoric unenclosed hut circle settlement in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference ME173. The site sits upon bedrock of Tremadoc Rocks, a geological formation comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down during the Tremadocian period. This underlying geology would have influenced both settlement viability and building practices, as these softer sedimentary rocks weather readily and provide limited foundation stability compared to harder stone types found elsewhere in Wales.
Unenclosed hut circles of this type typically date to the Bronze Age or Iron Age, though some occupation may extend into the Romano-British period. The absence of enclosing walls or defensive features suggests a settlement oriented towards pastoral or mixed farming rather than concentrated defence. Such unenclosed communities relied on dispersed settlement patterns across upland and marginal landscapes.
The Tremadoc bedrock beneath Gelli Gonan would have affected drainage and soil development, potentially creating damp conditions typical of settlements in this geological zone. The degradable nature of the underlying rocks means that any stone-built structures would have required regular maintenance. Today, the hut circles remain as subtle earthwork features within the Welsh landscape, representing the material legacy of prehistoric rural settlement strategies.
Hut Circle Settlement at Gelli Gonan is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME173. View the official record →
Hut Circle Settlement at Gelli Gonan is a prehistoric unenclosed hut circle settlement in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference ME173.
Hut Circle Settlement at Gelli Gonan 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 Settlement at Gelli Gonan 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 ME173.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Enclosed Hut Circle Settlement at Dolbelydr (8.5 km), Dol-ddinas Roman Earthworks (8.9 km), Enclosed Hut Circle Settlement South East of Yr Onen (9.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Hut Circle Settlement at Gelli Gonan'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 Gelli Gonan stands on Tremadoc Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Tremadocian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.