Pen-y-Garn-Goch Long Barrow

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a summary description of the monument.

The monument comprises the remains of three conjoined round barrows, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 BC - 800 BC). The barrows were described by W.F. Grimes as a long barrow of the Cotswold-Severn tradition, however no surface evidence could be found for a chamber and the site is now recognised as comprising multiple round barrows. The three barrows form an elongated oval monument, roughly 70m N/S and 30m E/W, with three distinct mounds defining each individual barrow. The barrows are constructed from rounded stones and boulders and have not been excavated but have been altered with hollows made into the stone cairns to create shelters, probably for use by shepherds.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. The monument is well preserved and is an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of ritual deposits together with environmental and structural evidence. Round barrows may be part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can be further enhanced by their group value.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.