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Stone Circle and Round Cairns, Hirnant is a prehistoric stone circle in Wales, protected as a scheduled ancient monument under Cadw reference CD014. The monument comprises a ring of standing stones accompanied by one or more round cairns, representing a form of ceremonial or ritual site typical of the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods. The circle's construction exploited the local geology: the underlying bedrock consists of Ashgill Rocks, sedimentary strata of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone that would have provided both suitable stone for construction and a stable foundation for the standing stones and cairn structures.
The positioning of the monument reflects the practical considerations of prehistoric builders. The Ashgill geology, though harder than some sedimentary formations, would have been accessible for quarrying the stones needed to establish the circle and construct the associated cairns. Such stone circles often marked significant landscape features or served as focal points for ritual activities and burial practices across Bronze Age Wales.
The survival of both the stone circle and cairns at Hirnant makes this site valuable for understanding prehistoric settlement patterns and ceremonial practices in upland Wales. The monument's protection by Cadw ensures that its archaeological potential remains available for future research and study.
Stone Circle and Round Cairns, Hirnant is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD014. View the official record →
Stone Circle and Round Cairns, Hirnant is a prehistoric stone circle in Wales, protected as a scheduled ancient monument under Cadw reference CD014.
Stone Circle and Round Cairns, Hirnant dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a stone circle. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Stone Circle and Round Cairns, Hirnant 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 CD014.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cairn Circle 200m NNW of Dolgamfa (4.8 km), Lluest Nantycreuau Deserted Rural Settlement (5.5 km), Banc Erw Barfe Deserted Rural Settlement (5.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Stone Circle and Round Cairns, Hirnant'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.
Stone Circle and Round Cairns, Hirnant stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.