Scheduled MonumentsWalesMaes Coch Hut Circles
Prehistoric · Hut Circle Settlement

Maes Coch Hut Circles

Meirionnydd, Wales
Cadw SAM ME195
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Hut Circle Settlement
Broad class
Domestic
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM ME195
Authority
Cadw
Designated
2003-05-13
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Maes Coch Hut Circles is a prehistoric hut circle settlement in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference ME195. The site comprises a cluster of circular or oval stone-built dwellings typical of later prehistoric communities in upland Britain. These structures represent domestic occupation spanning potentially several centuries, their placement reflecting the settlement needs of pastoralist or mixed farming communities.

The monument sits upon bedrock composed of Ordovician Extrusive Rocks, comprising mafic lava and tuff formed during the Ordovician period some 485 to 444 million years ago. This ancient volcanic geology shapes the local landscape character and would have determined the availability of stone for hut construction and field systems visible in the wider settlement pattern.

Hut circles of this type, typically measuring between 4 and 8 metres in diameter, represent some of the most substantial structural evidence for domestic life in prehistoric upland Wales. The survival of Maes Coch's multiple stone rings offers insight into settlement organisation, site permanence and land use during the later Bronze Age or Iron Age. The site's location and preservation make it an important archaeological record of prehistoric Welsh communities and their adaptation to upland terrain.

Maes Coch Hut Circles is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME195. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Maes Coch Hut Circles?

Maes Coch Hut Circles is a prehistoric hut circle settlement in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference ME195.

What period does Maes Coch Hut Circles date from?

Maes Coch Hut Circles 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.

Who is responsible for protecting Maes Coch Hut Circles?

Maes Coch Hut Circles 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 ME195.

What other scheduled monuments are near Maes Coch Hut Circles?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Maes Coch Deserted Rural Settlement (0.1 km), Anti-invasion Defences 2000m NE of Cwmrhwyddfor Farm (2.1 km), Llyn Gafr Standing Stone (3.2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Maes Coch Hut Circles

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Maes Coch Hut Circles'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.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Maes Coch Hut Circles report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Maes Coch Hut Circles

Maes Coch Hut Circles stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.