Scheduled MonumentsWalesMynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone Circles
Bronze Age · Stone Circle

Mynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone Circles

Breconshire, Wales
Cadw SAM BR069
Period
Bronze Age
Site type
Stone Circle
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Mynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone Circles is a Bronze Age stone circle situated on moorland in Wales. The monument consists of a ring of standing stones positioned on elevated terrain underlain by Pridoli rocks, a sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down in the Pridoli age. This geological foundation provides the raw stone from which the circle's component stones were likely sourced and shaped by communities practising pastoralism and ritual activity during the Bronze Age.

The circle occupies a prominent position on the open moorland landscape, typical of Bronze Age ceremonial sites in upland regions. Such circles served purposes encompassing burial, gathering and astronomical observation within prehistoric communities. The siting on higher ground provided both practical visibility across the surrounding terrain and spiritual significance to Bronze Age peoples.

The monument is protected under Cadw's conservation framework as reference BR069, reflecting its status as a nationally significant archaeological and cultural heritage asset. The stone circle remains an important record of Bronze Age settlement patterns and ritual practice in Wales, with its positioning and construction contributing to understanding of prehistoric land use in upland areas during the second millennium before Christ.

Mynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone Circles is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR069. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Mynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone Circles?

Mynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone Circles is a Bronze Age stone circle situated on moorland in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR069.

What period does Mynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone Circles date from?

Mynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone Circles dates from the bronze age period, and is classified as a stone circle. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Mynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone Circles?

Mynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone 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 BR069.

What other scheduled monuments are near Mynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone Circles?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Troed Rhiw Wen Prehistoric Standing Stone (5.4 km), Garn Las ring cairn (6.1 km), Garn Las platform cairn (6.3 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Mynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone Circles

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Mynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone 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.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Mynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone Circles

Mynydd Bach-Trecastell Stone Circles stands on Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Pridoli. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.