Scheduled MonumentsWalesWaun Pwtlyn Long Barrow
Prehistoric · Long Barrow

Waun Pwtlyn Long Barrow

Carmarthenshire, Wales
Cadw SAM CM012
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Long Barrow
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Waun Pwtlyn Long Barrow is a prehistoric burial monument located in Wales, constructed during the Neolithic period as a communal tomb. The barrow stands upon bedrock composed of Llanvirn Rocks, an undifferentiated formation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone dating to the Whiterock epoch. This geological foundation would have presented a challenging landscape for the monument's builders, who selected and moved substantial stone and earth to create the burial structure despite the underlying difficult terrain.

Long barrows of this type served as focal points for early agricultural communities, housing the remains of multiple individuals and serving functions beyond simple burial. The construction technique involved creating a mound of stone and soil above a burial chamber, with the elongated form typically oriented according to local topography and celestial considerations. Such monuments represented significant communal effort and reflect the social organisation and ritual practices of Neolithic society.

Waun Pwtlyn Long Barrow is protected as a scheduled monument under Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments authority, recorded under reference CM012. This designation ensures the preservation of the site's archaeological integrity and protects it from damage or disturbance, allowing future generations to study the remains and understand the burial practices and settlement patterns of prehistoric Wales.

Waun Pwtlyn Long Barrow is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM012. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Waun Pwtlyn Long Barrow?

Waun Pwtlyn Long Barrow is a prehistoric burial monument located in Wales, constructed during the Neolithic period as a communal tomb. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CM012.

What period does Waun Pwtlyn Long Barrow date from?

Waun Pwtlyn Long Barrow dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a long barrow. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Waun Pwtlyn Long Barrow?

Waun Pwtlyn Long 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 CM012.

What other scheduled monuments are near Waun Pwtlyn Long Barrow?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Carn Pen-Rhiw-Ddu (7.3 km), Carn Pen-y-Clogau (7.5 km), Moel Gornach settlement (7.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Waun Pwtlyn Long Barrow

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Waun Pwtlyn Long Barrow's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Waun Pwtlyn Long Barrow

Waun Pwtlyn Long Barrow stands on Llanvirn Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Whiterock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.