© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Pen y Gurnos Round Barrow is a prehistoric round barrow situated in Wales and protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw under reference CD253. Round barrows of this type were constructed during the Bronze Age as burial monuments, typically raised from earth and stone to commemorate individuals of status within their communities. The barrow's form would have been visually prominent in the landscape, serving both a mortuary and territorial function.
The monument sits upon Llandovery bedrock, which consists of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate of Ordovician age. This geological foundation would have influenced the availability of building materials and the physical character of the site. The underlying solid geology, whilst presenting hard stone suitable for stone packing or kerbing, also determined drainage characteristics and local land use patterns across the Bronze Age period.
Today, Pen y Gurnos Round Barrow survives as a upstanding earthwork within the Welsh landscape. Its protection under Cadw ensures continued preservation and archaeological monitoring. Round barrows of Wales, though often smaller and less prominent than their English counterparts, represent important evidence of prehistoric settlement hierarchies and burial practice across the late Neolithic and Bronze Age periods.
Pen y Gurnos Round Barrow is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD253. View the official record →
Pen y Gurnos Round Barrow is a prehistoric round barrow situated in Wales and protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw under reference CD253.
Pen y Gurnos Round Barrow dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a round barrow. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Pen y Gurnos Round Barrow 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 CD253.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Gelli Burial Chamber (5.5 km), Carn Wen round cairn (6.4 km), Nant-y-Mwyn Lead Mine Engine House, Rhandir-Mwyn (6.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Pen y Gurnos Round Barrow'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 y Gurnos Round Barrow stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.