Scheduled MonumentsWalesSt Lythans Chambered Tomb
Prehistoric · Chambered long barrow

St Lythans Chambered Tomb

Wales
Cadw SAM GM008
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Chambered long barrow
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

St Lythans Chambered Tomb is a Neolithic long barrow located near Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The monument comprises a stone-built burial chamber constructed from large sarsen stones, with the remains of an earthen mound still visible in the surrounding landscape. Dating to the Neolithic period, approximately 3500 to 3000 BC, the tomb represents an important example of megalithic funerary architecture characteristic of early agricultural societies in Britain. The site is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument under Cadw's management and continues to provide valuable archaeological and historical evidence for understanding Neolithic burial practices and ritual activity in Wales.

St Lythans Chambered Tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM008. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is St Lythans Chambered Tomb?

St Lythans Chambered Tomb is a Neolithic long barrow located near Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM008.

What period does St Lythans Chambered Tomb date from?

St Lythans Chambered Tomb dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a chambered long barrow. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting St Lythans Chambered Tomb?

St Lythans Chambered Tomb 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 GM008.

What other scheduled monuments are near St Lythans Chambered Tomb?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Highlight Medieval House Site (2.5 km), Moulton Roman Site (3.8 km), Barry Castle (5.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about St Lythans Chambered Tomb

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of St Lythans Chambered Tomb's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under St Lythans Chambered Tomb

St Lythans Chambered Tomb stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

The wider landscape

Around St Lythans Chambered Tomb

Caerphilly CastleArchaeological site · ~9.7 miles