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Maerdy Gaer is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CD090. The site occupies land underlain by Llandovery Rocks of undifferentiated character, a geological formation dating to the Llandovery period and composed of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. This bedrock would have influenced the settlement's water drainage and the character of soils available to its occupants.
The enclosure represents a form of settlement common across Wales and the wider British Isles during the prehistoric period. Such sites typically comprised a defended or demarcated area bounded by banks, ditches or timber palisades, serving residential, agricultural or ceremonial functions. The exact form and date of Maerdy Gaer's enclosing works can only be established through archaeological investigation.
The site's preservation and formal protection reflect its significance as a physical record of prehistoric settlement patterns and land use in Wales. The local geology, with its softer sedimentary rocks, would have made earthwork construction feasible, though the resulting defences may have weathered considerably over the millennia since their construction.
Maerdy Gaer is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD090. View the official record →
Maerdy Gaer is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CD090.
Maerdy Gaer dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a enclosure. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Maerdy Gaer 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 CD090.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Castell S of Pen-y-Foel (2.5 km), Nant Barre Caerau (3.5 km), Crug Bach (3.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Maerdy Gaer'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.
Maerdy Gaer stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.