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Rhiw Burial Chambers is a prehistoric chambered long cairn situated in Wales and protected as an ancient monument by Cadw. The structure belongs to the tradition of megalithic communal tombs that became widespread across Britain and Ireland during the Neolithic period, typically constructed between 4000 and 3000 BCE. These monuments served as focal points for ritual and burial practices within early farming communities.
The cairn sits upon bedrock formed from a mafic igneous intrusion of Silurian age, part of the Ordovician to Silurian geological sequence. This geology would have provided accessible stone suitable for cairn construction, a practical consideration that often influenced the placement of such monuments. The igneous substrate reflects the complex geological history of the Welsh uplands during the Paleozoic era.
The chambered structure within the cairn would have contained burial deposits, accessed via an entrance passage typical of this monument class. Long cairns of this type frequently held the remains of multiple individuals, suggesting their use as communal ancestral centres over generations. The survival of Rhiw Burial Chambers into the present day represents an exceptional record of Neolithic funerary practice and social organization in prehistoric Wales.
Rhiw Burial Chambers is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN026. View the official record →
Rhiw Burial Chambers is a prehistoric chambered long cairn situated in Wales and protected as an ancient monument by Cadw. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CN026.
Rhiw Burial Chambers dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a chambered long cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Rhiw Burial Chambers 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 CN026.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Long House South of Talarfor (0.7 km), Mynydd Rhiw Round Cairns (0.9 km), Mynydd Rhiw Stone Axe Factory (1.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Rhiw Burial Chambers'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.
Rhiw Burial Chambers stands on Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, Ordovician To Silurian, bedrock that formed in the Silurian. The rock here is mafic igneous-rock.