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Mynydd Pen-cyrn round cairn is a prehistoric burial monument situated on upland terrain in Wales. The cairn crowns bedrock of the Pennine Lower Coal Measures Formation, a Westphalian sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone interspersed with coal and ironstone bands. This geology, exposed across the exposed moorland, would have provided ready stone for the cairn's construction. The monument is a roughly circular mound of accumulated stones, typical of Bronze Age burial practice in Welsh uplands, where such cairns served as conspicuous territorial markers visible across the surrounding landscape. The exposed, windswept location of Mynydd Pen-cyrn reflects the preferences of prehistoric communities for prominent high ground, offering views across considerable distances.
The site is protected under Cadw's guardianship as monument reference BR360, recognising its archaeological significance. Round cairns of this type functioned as both burial chambers and focal points in the prehistoric landscape, often sited with deliberate prominence. The monument survives substantially intact, its stone structure weathered by centuries of exposure to the Welsh climate. Though unexcavated in recorded history, the cairn's form and positioning accord with established patterns of Bronze Age mortuary practice across upland Britain.
Mynydd Pen-cyrn round cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR360. View the official record →
Mynydd Pen-cyrn round cairn is a prehistoric burial monument situated on upland terrain in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR360.
Mynydd Pen-cyrn round cairn dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a round cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Mynydd Pen-cyrn round cairn 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 BR360.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Brake Engine on Hill Pits Tramroad Incline (6.5 km), Old Coal Pits, Blaenavon (6.8 km), Garn Road Powder House 300m ENE of Ashgrove Bungalow (7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Mynydd Pen-cyrn round cairn'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.
Mynydd Pen-cyrn round cairn stands on Pennine Lower Coal Measures Formation And South Wales Lower Coal Measures Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.