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Tir-cyd Deserted Rural Settlement is a medieval deserted rural settlement located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference BR290. The site sits on Lower Devonian bedrock of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formed during the Early Devonian period, which provides the underlying geology of this upland landscape.
The settlement represents the pattern of rural occupation that characterised medieval Welsh communities, where scattered farmsteads and small hamlets formed the basis of agricultural life. The mudstone and siltstone bedrock would have influenced both the drainage and agricultural potential of the land, shaping where inhabitants chose to establish their dwellings and fields.
The site's abandonment reflects broader changes in settlement patterns during the later medieval period, when economic pressures, environmental shifts or administrative reorganisation led communities to relocate or consolidate. Today, Tir-cyd survives as earthworks and surface features that preserve evidence of medieval rural life and land use, contributing to our understanding of how people lived and worked in the Welsh countryside during this period.
Tir-cyd Deserted Rural Settlement is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference BR290. View the official record →
Tir-cyd Deserted Rural Settlement is a medieval deserted rural settlement located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference BR290.
Tir-cyd Deserted Rural Settlement dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a deserted rural settlement. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Tir-cyd Deserted Rural Settlement 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 BR290.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Round Cairn 800m SW of Gwar-y-Felin (2.8 km), Maen Richard Prehistoric Standing Stone (4.8 km), Round Barrow SE of Llyn Nant-Llys (5.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Tir-cyd Deserted Rural Settlement'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.
Tir-cyd Deserted Rural Settlement stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.