Banc Ystrad-wen cairn cemetery

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The monument comprises the remains of a prehistoric cairn cemetery, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c.2300 BC - 800 BC). The cemetery contains the remains of at least eight round burial cairns and is situated within open moorland on the saddle and summit of Banc Ystrad-wen, on the NE facing slopes of Drum Ddu. The cairns measure between 3m and 13m in diameter and between 0.2m and 0.7m in height.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. The features are important relics of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retain significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of both intact burial or ritual deposits and environmental and structural evidence. The importance of the monument is further enhanced by the group value formed by the association of the individual cairns within the cemetery - and the topographical association of the cemetery with other monuments within the surrounding area.

The area to be scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. It is irregular on plan and measures 550m from ENE to WSW by 250m transversely; the scheduled area broadly follows the 460m contour, except on its E and W sides.