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Penycae Cairn is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference DE268. The monument sits upon bedrock of the Millstone Grit Group, a Namurian-age formation comprising alternating layers of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. This substantial geological foundation would have been visible to the monument's builders and shaped the character of the landscape in which they chose to construct their burial structure.
Round cairns of this type typically date to the Bronze Age, though construction may have begun in the late Neolithic. They served as burial monuments, with stone heaps accumulated over a central grave or graves. The choice of location on the Millstone Grit bedrock reflects the importance of such elevated positions in prehistoric funerary practice, offering visual prominence within the surrounding terrain.
The monument remains an important archaeological record of prehistoric Wales. Its form and position within the landscape contribute to understanding patterns of settlement, land use and ritual practice during the Bronze Age. The substantial nature of such cairns indicates the investment of labour and community organisation in commemorating the dead, making them significant markers of social structures and beliefs in prehistoric Welsh society.
Penycae Cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference DE268. View the official record →
Penycae Cairn is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference DE268.
Penycae 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.
Penycae 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 DE268.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Pen y Gaer Hillfort (5.5 km), Pont y Cysylltau (6.5 km), Llangollen Bridge (6.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Penycae 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.
Penycae Cairn stands on Millstone Grit Group [See Also Migr], bedrock that formed in the Namurian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.