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Picws Du cairn is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CM336. The monument sits on bedrock formed from Lower Devonian rocks of undifferentiated character, a foundation of sandstone and conglomerate laid down during the Early Devonian period. This geologically varied base of interbedded stone would have influenced the availability of suitable building materials at the site.
Round cairns of this type typically date to the Bronze Age and served as burial monuments, often constructed by gathering fieldstone into substantial mounds. The monument's survival on its Devonian sandstone and conglomerate base reflects both the enduring nature of prehistoric funerary architecture and the geological stability of its chosen location. Such cairns are characteristic monuments of the Welsh upland landscape, representing important expressions of Bronze Age ritual practice and land use.
Picws Du remains a significant record of prehistoric Welsh heritage, its form and placement contributing to our understanding of Bronze Age settlement patterns and funerary customs. The cairn's documented status under Cadw ensures its continued protection and preservation for future study and public engagement with Wales's ancient past.
Picws Du cairn is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM336. View the official record →
Picws Du cairn is a prehistoric round cairn located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CM336.
Picws Du 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.
Picws Du 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 CM336.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Carn Fadog round cairn (6.3 km), Cwm Twrch settlement and limekiln (6.4 km), Saith Maen (6.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Picws Du 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.
Picws Du cairn stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.