Nant y Gafod Deserted Rural Settlement

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

The monument comprises a well-preserved and largely intact example of a deserted medieval and post-medieval farmstead and is referred to in Strata Florida charters of the 16th century. It consists of the upstanding remains of a stone-built farmhouse surrounded by stock pens and enclosures covering an area 70m by 40m.

The site forms an important element in a wider medieval and post-medieval upland landscape. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval and post medieval land use, settlement and economy. It is a well-preserved, relatively rare and little-understood example of upland settlement; and it retains great archaeological potential to enhance our knowledge of post medieval stock rearing practices in the upland zone, whether as permanent settlement, regular transhumance, or intermittent opportunistic expansion. There is a strong probability of the presence of intact palaeo-environmental remains and preserved medieval or post-medieval ground surfaces below the monument.

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