© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Maes y Caerau Homestead is a prehistoric concentric enclosed hut circle situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference ME117. The monument comprises multiple circular ditched enclosures typical of Bronze Age domestic settlement, with the innermost ring marking the position of a dwelling structure. Such concentric arrangements provided domestic space, livestock management and defence, reflecting the social and economic organisation of prehistoric communities across Britain.
The homestead's location has exposed the underlying Middle Cambrian geology of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone, bedrock formed during the Cambrian period over 500 million years ago. This geology would have shaped both the landscape's potential for settlement and the practical challenges of construction, influencing the positioning and form of the enclosures themselves.
Hut circles of this type, typically dating to the Bronze Age, represent some of the clearest evidence for domestic life in prehistory. The concentric design is distinctive to certain regions and periods, suggesting established building traditions and settlement practices. Maes y Caerau Homestead thus provides important evidence for understanding how communities organised their living spaces and engaged with the Welsh landscape during the prehistoric period.
Maes y Caerau Homestead is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME117. View the official record →
Maes y Caerau Homestead is a prehistoric concentric enclosed hut circle situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference ME117.
Maes y Caerau Homestead dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a concentric enclosed hut circle. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Maes y Caerau Homestead 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 ME117.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tyddyn Du Enclosed Settlement (7.8 km), Hut Circle South of Tyddyn-Du (7.8 km), Enclosure and Early Field System North of Fronhill, Llanfair (8.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Maes y Caerau Homestead'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.
Maes y Caerau Homestead stands on Middle Cambrian, bedrock that formed in the Middle Cambrian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.