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Nant-Maden Round Cairn is a prehistoric burial monument situated in Wales on bedrock of the Millstone Grit Group, a formation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone dating to the Namurian period. Round cairns of this type typically served as communal burial structures during the Neolithic and Bronze Age, constructed by stacking stone cleared from surrounding land.
The cairn's construction exploited the local geology, using stone readily available from the Millstone Grit bedrock. This gritstone, composed of hard sandstone interbedded with finer sediments, provided substantial material for building and would have been naturally exposed or easily quarried on the hillside. The choice of location reflects the practical considerations of prehistoric monument builders, who selected elevated positions offering good drainage and visibility across the landscape.
The site is now protected by Cadw under reference BR156, ensuring its preservation as an important record of prehistoric burial practice in Wales. The survival of the cairn allows archaeologists to study prehistoric settlement patterns, land use and mortuary customs in this region, whilst the underlying Millstone Grit geology continues to shape the monument's physical character and condition.
Nant-Maden Round Cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR156. View the official record →
Nant-Maden Round Cairn is a prehistoric burial monument situated in Wales on bedrock of the Millstone Grit Group, a formation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone dating to the Namurian period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference BR156.
Nant-Maden 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.
Nant-Maden 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 BR156.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Iron Tram Bridge, Robertstown (7.4 km), Tarren y Bwlch round cairn (7.5 km), Tramroad East of Robert's Town Bridge, Aberdare (7.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Nant-Maden 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.
Nant-Maden Round Cairn stands on Millstone Grit Group [See Also Migr], bedrock that formed in the Namurian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.