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Rhyd-Lydan Cromlech is a prehistoric burial chamber located in Wales and protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw under reference CM056. The structure sits upon bedrock composed of Pridoli Rocks, an undifferentiated formation of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate dating to the Pridoli epoch. This geological foundation would have been quarried or naturally fractured to obtain the stone megaliths that form the chamber's construction.
As a cromlech, the monument represents the funerary practices of Neolithic or Early Bronze Age communities, when communal burial chambers were constructed beneath earthen mounds. The capstone and orthostatic uprights that characterise such monuments would have created an enclosed burial space, typically accessed via a narrow passage. These structures served as focal points for ancestral veneration across multiple generations.
The Pridoli geology of the site—primarily sandstone interbedded with conglomerate—provided locally available material suitable for megalithic construction. The weathering properties and fracture patterns of these rocks would have influenced both the quarrying techniques available to prehistoric builders and the chamber's long-term durability. Today, the monument remains a significant record of early Welsh burial practice and prehistoric stone-working knowledge.
Rhyd-Lydan Cromlech is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM056. View the official record →
Rhyd-Lydan Cromlech is a prehistoric burial chamber located in Wales and protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw under reference CM056.
Rhyd-Lydan Cromlech dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a burial chamber. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Rhyd-Lydan Cromlech 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 CM056.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Round Barrow 330m SW of Mynydd-Uchaf (6.1 km), Castell Llansteffan (6.5 km), Group of Standing Stones NE of Llechdwnni (7.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Rhyd-Lydan Cromlech'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.
Rhyd-Lydan Cromlech stands on Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Pridoli. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.