Scheduled MonumentsWalesTair Carn Isaf Cairns
Prehistoric · Round Cairn

Tair Carn Isaf Cairns

Carmarthenshire, Wales
Cadw SAM CM256
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Round Cairn
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM CM256
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1992-11-06
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Tair Carn Isaf Cairns is a prehistoric round cairn situated on Millstone Grit bedrock in Wales. The monument comprises a burial mound constructed of stone, a characteristic funerary monument type built during the Bronze Age. Round cairns served as enduring markers of the landscape whilst providing a focal point for ancestral commemoration, and typically contained evidence of cremation or inhumation burials within their stone structure.

The underlying geology comprises the Millstone Grit Group, a formation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone deposited during the Namurian period of the Carboniferous era. This locally available stone would have provided suitable material for cairn construction. The upland setting typical of such monuments afforded prominent visibility across the surrounding terrain and remains a distinctive feature of the Welsh landscape.

The cairn is protected by Cadw, the Welsh Heritage Monuments Service, under reference CM256, ensuring its preservation and ongoing archaeological significance. Round cairns of this type remain important sources of evidence for Bronze Age mortuary practices, social organisation and settlement patterns across Wales, and contribute to understanding prehistoric land use and monumental tradition.

Tair Carn Isaf Cairns is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM256. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Tair Carn Isaf Cairns?

Tair Carn Isaf Cairns is a prehistoric round cairn situated on Millstone Grit bedrock in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CM256.

What period does Tair Carn Isaf Cairns date from?

Tair Carn Isaf Cairns dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a round cairn. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Tair Carn Isaf Cairns?

Tair Carn Isaf Cairns 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 CM256.

What other scheduled monuments are near Tair Carn Isaf Cairns?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Bodyst-uchaf ring cairn (5 km), Waun-hir post-medieval lluest farmstead (5.6 km), Group of Burnt Mounds 300m SSW of Cilcoll Farm (5.9 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Tair Carn Isaf Cairns

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Tair Carn Isaf Cairns'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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Tair Carn Isaf Cairns

Tair Carn Isaf Cairns stands on Millstone Grit Group [See Also Migr], bedrock that formed in the Namurian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.