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Ystrad Rural Settlement is a medieval deserted rural settlement located in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled ancient monument (reference CN316). The site lies on bedrock of Llanvirn Rocks, undifferentiated deposits formed during the Whiterock period, comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. This geology would have influenced both the settlement's development and the building materials available to its medieval inhabitants.
The settlement represents a typical pattern of rural occupation and abandonment common across Wales during the medieval period. Such sites often developed in response to changing agricultural practices, population pressures or economic shifts that later led communities to relocate or disperse. The physical remains visible today provide evidence of how ordinary people lived and worked in the Welsh countryside.
Medieval rural settlements of this type varied widely in their form and longevity. They might comprise scattered homesteads, organised field systems, or more clustered occupation patterns, often exploiting local topography and available resources. The preservation of Ystrad as a deserted site makes it valuable for understanding medieval settlement history, agricultural organisation and the social structures of rural Wales during this formative period.
Ystrad Rural Settlement is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN316. View the official record →
Ystrad Rural Settlement is a medieval deserted rural settlement located in Wales and protected by Cadw as a scheduled ancient monument (reference CN316).
Ystrad Rural Settlement dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a deserted rural settlement. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Ystrad Rural Settlement 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 CN316.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Y Garn cairns (4.8 km), Dorothea Quarry, Pyramids, Inclines, Mill & Winding Houses, etc (6.2 km), Dorothea Quarry Beam Engine (6.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Ystrad Rural Settlement'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.
Ystrad Rural Settlement stands on Llanvirn Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Whiterock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.