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Twmpath Diwlith Round Barrow is a prehistoric burial mound situated on the South Wales coalfield, where the underlying geology consists of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone of the Upper Coal Measures Formation. This monument, protected by Cadw under reference GM557, represents a funerary tradition that flourished across Bronze Age Wales, typically constructed to contain cremated remains within a central chamber or pit surrounded by an earthen mound.
The barrow's location on the Coal Measures landscape means it was constructed upon the same strata that would later prove economically significant during the Industrial Revolution. The ferricrete and ironstone deposits present in the local bedrock have weathered to produce the iron-rich soils characteristic of this region, which would have presented particular constraints and opportunities for the monument's builders in preparing the ground.
Today, Twmpath Diwlith survives as a visible earthwork testament to Bronze Age burial practices in South Wales, forming part of the wider landscape of prehistoric ceremonial and funerary monuments across the region. Its protection reflects the archaeological importance of such monuments in understanding early societies that inhabited the Welsh uplands and coalfield margins before the Roman conquest.
Twmpath Diwlith Round Barrow is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM557. View the official record →
Twmpath Diwlith Round Barrow is a prehistoric burial mound situated on the South Wales coalfield, where the underlying geology consists of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone of the Upper Coal Measures Formation. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM557.
Twmpath Diwlith Round Barrow 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.
Twmpath Diwlith Round Barrow 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 GM557.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cefn Cribwr Ironworks (5.7 km), Sculptured Cross Llanmihangel Farm (6.1 km), Pen-y-Castell Camp (6.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Twmpath Diwlith Round Barrow'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.
Twmpath Diwlith Round Barrow 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.