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Ring Cairn on Craig Fawr is a prehistoric earthwork situated on the Coal Measures geology of South Wales. The monument consists of a roughly circular arrangement of stones typical of Bronze Age funerary or ceremonial practice. Built upon bedrock of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone of the Upper Coal Measures Formation, the ring cairn occupies high ground that would have commanded views across the surrounding landscape. The presence of ironstone and ferricrete within the underlying geology means that suitable stone for construction lay readily available in the immediate vicinity.
The monument's exact original function remains undetermined, as indicated by its unclassified status, though ring cairns of this period commonly served as burial monuments, territorial markers, or gathering places for ritual activity. The site's elevated position on Craig Fawr reflects a broader pattern of Bronze Age monument placement in upland locations across Wales, often positioned to be visible from considerable distances.
The ring cairn is protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage monument service, under reference GM380. Its survival represents an important record of prehistoric activity on the Coal Measures plateau, a landscape shaped by both natural geological formations and human settlement across millennia.
Ring Cairn on Craig Fawr is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM380. View the official record →
Ring Cairn on Craig Fawr is a prehistoric earthwork situated on the Coal Measures geology of South Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM380.
Ring Cairn on Craig Fawr dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a earthwork (unclassified). It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Ring Cairn on Craig Fawr 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 GM380.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Earthwork 1080m NNW of Fforest Newydd (5.1 km), Llandeilo Castle Mound (5.8 km), Clydach Upper Forge (7.5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Ring Cairn on Craig Fawr'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 on Craig Fawr stands on South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.