Moel y Llyn Cairn Cemetery

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

The monument comprises the remains of six prehistoric cairns, which probably date to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC). The cairns are located in upland moorland pasture on the summit and slopes of Moel y Llyn and together form a cairn cemetery. All the cairns are circular or oval in shape on plan. Items 'A' to 'D' are located on rocky knolls around a small mountain pool. Item 'A' measures 11m in diameter and 1m in height. Item 'B' measures 12m in diameter and 1.5m in height. Item 'C' measures 19m in diameter and 1.3m in height. Item 'D' measures 6.5m in diameter and 1.2m in height. Items 'E' and 'F' form a discrete pair c. 400m to the E. Item 'E' measures 12m in diameter and 1m in height. Item 'F' measures 11m in diameter and 1.8m in height. The bulk of each cairn remains intact and well defined.

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. There is a strong probability of the presence of both intact burial or ritual deposits, together with environmental and structural evidence. The importance of the monument is further enhanced by the group value formed by the association of the individual cairns.

The scheduled areas comprise the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. Areas 'A' and 'B', centred on Items 'A' and 'B', are circular and measure 18m in diameter. Area 'C', centred on Item 'C', is circular and measures 25m in diameter. Area 'D', centred on Item 'D', is circular and measures 12m in diameter. Area 'E', centred on Items 'E' and 'F', is rectangular and measures 30m NW-SE by 15m transversely.