Scheduled MonumentsWalesMynydd Egryn Settlement
Prehistoric · Enclosed hut circle

Mynydd Egryn Settlement

Meirionnydd, Wales
Cadw SAM ME157
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Enclosed hut circle
Broad class
Domestic
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM ME157
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1996-01-19
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Mynydd Egryn Settlement is a prehistoric enclosed hut circle situated on the lower Cambrian bedrock of Wales, where sandstone and conglomerate beds provide uneven but workable ground. The monument is protected by Cadw under reference ME157. Such settlements were typical of upland occupation in the Bronze Age and Iron Age, offering defensive advantages and access to grazing land across moorland terrain.

The site's location on Lower Cambrian geology, formed during the Early Cambrian period over 500 million years ago, means the underlying stone would have been exposed or shallow in many places. Inhabitants would have worked with the local rock outcrops when constructing the settlement's defining circular enclosure and associated hut structures. The interbedded nature of the sandstone and conglomerate would have provided both building material and drainage challenges on the sloping ground.

Enclosed hut circles like this represent domestic settlement patterns in which a central defended space housed communal or family activity. The visible archaeological remains at Mynydd Egryn preserve evidence of prehistoric land use and structural traditions that persisted across many centuries of occupation, making it a significant record of upland settlement in pre-Roman Wales.

Mynydd Egryn Settlement is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME157. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Mynydd Egryn Settlement?

Mynydd Egryn Settlement is a prehistoric enclosed hut circle situated on the lower Cambrian bedrock of Wales, where sandstone and conglomerate beds provide uneven but workable ground. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference ME157.

What period does Mynydd Egryn Settlement date from?

Mynydd Egryn Settlement dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a enclosed hut circle. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Mynydd Egryn Settlement?

Mynydd Egryn Settlement 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 ME157.

What other scheduled monuments are near Mynydd Egryn Settlement?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cyfannedd-Fach Homestead (7.7 km), Bron-Llety-Ifan cairns and cup-marked rock (7.9 km), Fairbourne Anti-invasion Defences (8 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Mynydd Egryn Settlement

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Mynydd Egryn Settlement'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 Mynydd Egryn Settlement report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Mynydd Egryn Settlement

Mynydd Egryn Settlement stands on Lower Cambrian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Cambrian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.