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Ring Cairn 120m NE of Heol Ddu is a prehistoric ring cairn situated in Wales on bedrock formed from Dinantian limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks. Ring cairns are ceremonial or funerary monuments constructed during the Bronze Age, comprising a ring of stones surrounding a central space, often without a burial mound. The local geology of limestone and sandstone would have provided suitable stone for construction, with material readily available in the surrounding landscape.
The monument's positioning on Mississippian bedrock places it within a landscape rich in natural stone resources typical of South Wales upland areas. The specific siting 120 metres north-east of Heol Ddu reflects the prehistoric preference for elevated terrain offering visibility across the surrounding countryside. Such locations frequently served communal functions within Bronze Age societies, whether as ceremonial gathering places or markers of territorial significance.
The ring cairn is protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage monument service, under reference CM230. This designation ensures its preservation as an important archaeological record of prehistoric Wales, contributing to our understanding of Bronze Age settlement patterns and ritual practices in the region.
Ring Cairn 120m NE of Heol Ddu is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM230. View the official record →
Ring Cairn 120m NE of Heol Ddu is a prehistoric ring cairn situated in Wales on bedrock formed from Dinantian limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CM230.
Ring Cairn 120m NE of Heol Ddu dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a ring cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Ring Cairn 120m NE of Heol Ddu 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 CM230.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Maesdulais Limekilns (2.4 km), Odyn Jac Limekilns (4 km), Cairn 150m ESE of Garnbig (4.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Ring Cairn 120m NE of Heol Ddu'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.
Ring Cairn 120m NE of Heol Ddu stands on Dinantian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Mississippian. The rock here is limestone with subordinate sandstone and argillaceous rocks.