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Tir Lan round barrow cemetery is a prehistoric burial monument located in Wales, protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Cadw under reference GM270. The site comprises round barrows, earthen mounds constructed during the Bronze Age as communal or individual burial places. These monuments represent some of Wales' most visible prehistoric remains and reflect the ritual and social importance of the dead within early metal-working societies.
The barrows at Tir Lan sit upon bedrock of the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, deposited during the Westphalian period of the Carboniferous era. The underlying geology comprises mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete—a complex sequence that has influenced both the landscape's character and the availability of stone and iron resources throughout the area's long human occupation. The elevation and drainage of the site would have been shaped by these geological foundations.
Round barrow cemeteries such as Tir Lan are typically Bronze Age in date, though some may have origins in the Neolithic. The grouping of multiple barrows suggests repeated use of the location as a burial place across generations, indicating a landscape of continuing ceremonial significance to prehistoric communities. The survival of these earthworks, despite their exposure to Welsh upland weathering, testifies to the substantial effort invested in their construction.
Tir Lan round barrow cemetery is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM270. View the official record →
Tir Lan round barrow cemetery is a prehistoric burial monument located in Wales, protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Cadw under reference GM270.
Tir Lan round barrow cemetery dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a round barrow. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Tir Lan round barrow cemetery 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 GM270.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Prehistoric Rock Art on Mynydd Eglwysilan Common (6.9 km), Carneddi Llwydion (7.2 km), Cross Ridge Dyke & Cairn on Twyn Hywel (8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Tir Lan round barrow cemetery'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 Lan round barrow cemetery stands on South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.