Scheduled MonumentsWalesY Gaerwen Enclosure, Llangar
Prehistoric · Enclosure

Y Gaerwen Enclosure, Llangar

Meirionnydd, Wales
Cadw SAM ME091
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Enclosure
Broad class
Monument
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Y Gaerwen Enclosure, Llangar is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference ME091. The monument occupies ground underlain by Wenlock Rocks, a Silurian-age bedrock comprising interbedded sandstone and conglomerate that would have shaped the site's topography and drainage patterns throughout its occupation. The solid geology of this ancient sea-floor deposit now forms the physical foundation upon which the enclosure's earthworks survive.

The enclosure belongs to a widespread tradition of prehistoric monument-building across Britain and Wales, typically serving defensive, ceremonial or territorial functions during the Neolithic or Bronze Age periods. The sandstone and conglomerate bedrock underlying the site would have presented practical constraints and opportunities for construction, influencing where ditches could be dug and where natural outcrops might have been incorporated into the perimeter works.

Y Gaerwen Enclosure remains a significant record of prehistoric land-use and settlement patterns in the Llangar landscape. Its archaeological and historical value merits its formal protection, preserving an important element of Wales's pre-Roman cultural heritage for research and public understanding of early communities who shaped the Welsh countryside.

Y Gaerwen Enclosure, Llangar is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME091. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Y Gaerwen Enclosure, Llangar?

Y Gaerwen Enclosure, Llangar is a prehistoric enclosure located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference ME091.

What period does Y Gaerwen Enclosure, Llangar date from?

Y Gaerwen Enclosure, Llangar dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a enclosure. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Y Gaerwen Enclosure, Llangar?

Y Gaerwen Enclosure, Llangar 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 ME091.

What other scheduled monuments are near Y Gaerwen Enclosure, Llangar?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Two Ring Cairns West of Cwm Tywyll (6.9 km), Cwm Tywyll House Platforms (7 km), Cefn Penagored Cairn and Ring Cairn (7.2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Y Gaerwen Enclosure, Llangar

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Y Gaerwen Enclosure, Llangar'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 Y Gaerwen Enclosure, Llangar

Y Gaerwen Enclosure, Llangar stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.