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Pen Caenewydd ring cairn is a prehistoric ring cairn located in Wales and protected as a scheduled monument under Cadw reference CM350. Ring cairns of this type typically date to the Bronze Age and consist of a circular bank of stones, often marking a burial or ceremonial site. The monument sits on bedrock of Ludlow Rocks formation, comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone deposits that date to the Ludlow period of the Silurian.
The underlying geology of mudstone and siltstone would have presented particular challenges for Bronze Age communities constructing the cairn, as the softer bedrock offered less stable building material than the harder sandstone beds also present in the formation. The builders would have relied on surface stones gathered from the immediate landscape to form the cairn's characteristic ring structure.
Ring cairns served various functions within prehistoric communities, potentially serving as territorial markers, burial monuments, or ritual spaces. The survival of Pen Caenewydd as a recognisable earthwork demonstrates the durability of stone construction and the enduring presence of Bronze Age communities on the Welsh landscape. Its legal protection ensures that this monument remains available for archaeological study and public understanding of prehistoric Wales.
Pen Caenewydd ring cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM350. View the official record →
Pen Caenewydd ring cairn is a prehistoric ring cairn located in Wales and protected as a scheduled monument under Cadw reference CM350.
Pen Caenewydd ring cairn dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a ring cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Pen Caenewydd ring 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 CM350.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Twyn yr Esgair Settlement (5.4 km), Standing Stone & Round Cairns S of Tyle-Pengam (7 km), Carn y Gigfran (7.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Pen Caenewydd ring 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.
Pen Caenewydd ring cairn stands on Ludlow Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ludlow. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.