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Round Barrow SW of Maen Llia is a prehistoric ring cairn located in Wales and protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw under reference BR163. Ring cairns represent a distinctive Neolithic and Bronze Age burial tradition, typically comprising a circular arrangement of stones enclosing a central space. This monument sits upon Lower Devonian bedrock of sandstone and conglomerate, which would have been readily available for construction and shapes the local landscape character.
The exposed geology of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate provided natural stone sources for the cairn's construction. Such materials weather distinctively, influencing both the monument's appearance and its preservation over millennia. The barrow's location relative to Maen Llia, a significant megalithic stone, may reflect Bronze Age land use patterns and the symbolic importance of this upland area.
Ring cairns typically contained burials and cremated remains, serving as territorial or family monuments within the Bronze Age landscape. The construction of this cairn represents considerable labour investment, indicating the social standing of those commemorated. The monument survives as physical evidence of prehistoric settlement and mortuary practice in this region of Wales, where such cairns remain prominent features of the archaeological record.
Round Barrow SW of Maen Llia is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR163. View the official record →
Round Barrow SW of Maen Llia is a prehistoric ring cairn located in Wales and protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw under reference BR163.
Round Barrow SW of Maen Llia 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.
Round Barrow SW of Maen Llia 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 BR163.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Nant-Maden Round Cairn (9.6 km), Cwm Cadlan Settlement and Field System (9.7 km), Wernlas ring cairn and cairnfield (10.1 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Round Barrow SW of Maen Llia'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.
Round Barrow SW of Maen Llia stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.