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Three Pillow Mounds on Cefn Hirgoed is a medieval earthwork consisting of three elongated, rounded ridges typical of warren structures built for rabbit farming. The site occupies elevated terrain on the Millstone Grit Group bedrock, which comprises mudstone, siltstone and sandstone deposits of Namurian age. This upland location on Cefn Hirgoed provided well-drained conditions suited to the establishment and maintenance of enclosed rabbit warrens, which were valuable commercial resources in medieval Wales. The gritstone bedrock would have offered stable ground for constructing and sustaining the characteristic ridge-and-furrow patterns created by the movement of earth during warren management.
Pillow mounds were specifically engineered to provide habitat for rabbits, which were introduced to Britain by the Normans and became increasingly profitable as sources of meat, fur and bone. The three distinct ridges at this location represent separate warren management zones or breeding enclosures. Rabbits were contained within paled fences, and the mounded earth would have enabled effective drainage whilst providing shelter and burrowing opportunities. The warrens required continuous labour to maintain and protect their valuable stock.
The monument is protected by Cadw under reference GM491, recognising its significance as a surviving example of medieval agricultural enterprise. Such earthworks are relatively uncommon in Wales, making this warren complex an important indicator of the period's economic activity and land use patterns in the upland landscape.
Three Pillow Mounds on Cefn Hirgoed is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM491. View the official record →
Three Pillow Mounds on Cefn Hirgoed is a medieval earthwork consisting of three elongated, rounded ridges typical of warren structures built for rabbit farming. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM491.
Three Pillow Mounds on Cefn Hirgoed dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a pillow mound. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Three Pillow Mounds on Cefn Hirgoed 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 GM491.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Corntown causewayed enclosure (6.5 km), Promontory Fort on Fleming's Down (6.5 km), Ogmore Stepping Stones (6.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Three Pillow Mounds on Cefn Hirgoed'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.
Three Pillow Mounds on Cefn Hirgoed stands on Millstone Grit Group [See Also Migr], bedrock that formed in the Namurian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.