Scheduled MonumentsWalesHut Circle West of Pen-y-Bryn
Prehistoric · Unenclosed hut circle

Hut Circle West of Pen-y-Bryn

Meirionnydd, Wales
Cadw SAM ME160
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Unenclosed hut circle
Broad class
Domestic
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM ME160
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1996-09-26
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Hut Circle West of Pen-y-Bryn is a prehistoric unenclosed hut circle in Wales, protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw. The site occupies ground underlain by Lower Cambrian sandstone and conglomerate bedrock, a foundation of interbedded stone typical of the early Palaeozoic landscape. This geological setting would have provided both building stone and stable ground for habitation during prehistory.

The monument represents a form of domestic settlement characteristic of Bronze Age and Iron Age communities across upland Wales. Unenclosed hut circles of this type were typically occupied seasonally or permanently by small household groups engaged in pastoral and subsistence farming. The absence of surrounding defensive earthworks distinguishes this settlement pattern from the hillforts and enclosed settlements found elsewhere in the Welsh landscape.

The site's location west of Pen-y-Bryn places it within terrain that would have offered access to upland grazing and water sources. Preservation of such monuments relies on their survival in marginal agricultural zones where ploughing has not destroyed the structural remains. The scheduled status ensures protection of the archaeological deposits that may contain evidence of daily life, material culture and economic practices of prehistoric Welsh communities.

Hut Circle West of Pen-y-Bryn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME160. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Hut Circle West of Pen-y-Bryn?

Hut Circle West of Pen-y-Bryn is a prehistoric unenclosed hut circle in Wales, protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference ME160.

What period does Hut Circle West of Pen-y-Bryn date from?

Hut Circle West of Pen-y-Bryn 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.

Who is responsible for protecting Hut Circle West of Pen-y-Bryn?

Hut Circle West of Pen-y-Bryn 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 ME160.

What other scheduled monuments are near Hut Circle West of Pen-y-Bryn?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Settlement & Fields Systems above Egryn Abbey (6.2 km), Enclosed Hut Circle Settlement and Long huts E of Egryn Abbey (6.3 km), Mynydd Egryn Ring Cairn (6.4 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Hut Circle West of Pen-y-Bryn

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Hut Circle West of Pen-y-Bryn's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Hut Circle West of Pen-y-Bryn

Hut Circle West of Pen-y-Bryn stands on Lower Cambrian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Cambrian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.