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Penrhiwllwydog Round Cairn is a prehistoric burial monument situated in Wales on bedrock of Llandovery age sandstone and conglomerate. The cairn represents the monumental practices of Neolithic or Bronze Age communities, when substantial stone heaps were constructed over burial deposits or cremations. The underlying geology of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate would have provided naturally fractured stone suitable for cairn construction, likely gathered from exposures on or near the site.
The monument stands protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage agency, under reference CD240, reflecting its significance within the archaeological record of Wales. Round cairns of this type are widely distributed across upland and moorland terrain throughout Wales and Britain, typically associated with pastoral communities. The form and construction method—a mound of stones raised over a central burial—remained consistent across many centuries of prehistory.
The precise chronology and internal structure of Penrhiwllwydog Round Cairn can only be established through detailed archaeological investigation. The monument's survival on the landscape testifies to the durability of stone construction and the enduring value placed on monumental burial markers by successive generations. Its designation under statutory protection ensures the preservation of this archaeological resource for future study and public understanding of Wales's prehistoric past.
Penrhiwllwydog Round Cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD240. View the official record →
Penrhiwllwydog Round Cairn is a prehistoric burial monument situated in Wales on bedrock of Llandovery age sandstone and conglomerate. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CD240.
Penrhiwllwydog 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.
Penrhiwllwydog 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 CD240.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Maen Bach Standing Stone (7.6 km), Mynydd Mallaen Standing Stone (7.9 km), Mynydd Mallaen Long Hut (9.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Penrhiwllwydog 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.
Penrhiwllwydog Round Cairn stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.