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Two Cooking Mounds 350m W of Llwynceubren, Howey is a prehistoric burnt mound situated on Wenlock bedrock in the uplands of mid-Wales. The monument comprises two distinct mounded features created by the accumulation of burnt stone and charcoal-rich soil, typical of Bronze Age cooking sites used for boiling water and preparing food. The underlying geology of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone from the Wenlock period would have provided suitable stone suitable for heating and cracking in repeated fires, the fractured fragments contributing to the mound formation visible today.
Burnt mounds of this type are found across Britain and Ireland, representing one of the commonest prehistoric monuments on the upland margins. At this Howey location, the two separate mounds suggest either sequential use or simultaneous exploitation of the site for communal activities. The stone-rich landscape and nearby water sources would have made this an ideal setting for such processing activities.
The site is protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage body, under reference RD141, ensuring its preservation for future study. Burnt mounds remain enigmatic monuments; whilst food preparation is the leading interpretation, their true range of functions in prehistoric life continues to attract archaeological interest.
Two Cooking Mounds 350m W of Llwynceubren, Howey is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD141. View the official record →
Two Cooking Mounds 350m W of Llwynceubren, Howey is a prehistoric burnt mound situated on Wenlock bedrock in the uplands of mid-Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference RD141.
Two Cooking Mounds 350m W of Llwynceubren, Howey dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a burnt mound. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Two Cooking Mounds 350m W of Llwynceubren, Howey 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 RD141.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Castell Cae-Maerdy Castle Mound (6.6 km), Cwrt Llechryd moated site (6.9 km), Fforest Wood Mound & Bailey Castle (7.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Two Cooking Mounds 350m W of Llwynceubren, Howey'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.
Two Cooking Mounds 350m W of Llwynceubren, Howey stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.