Rhyd-Lydan Cromlech

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

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

The monument, also known as Myrddin's Quoit, comprises the remains of a prehistoric cromlech, probably dating to the Neolithic period (c. fourth to early third millennium BC). The area covered by the original designation was too large and offset. The scheduled area has been revised to make it smaller and centred on the visible archaeological remains. The stones are located c. 4.1m apart. The N stone is embedded into the E face of a NE-SW oriented field boundary. It measures c. 1.8m tall, 0.9m wide and 0.75m deep. It leans slightly to the NE. It is a squat stone, squarish in shape on plan and rising to a blunt point on the E face. The S stone measures c. 1.7m tall, 1m wide and 0.7m deep. It is oriented N-S and is roughly pentagonal in shape in section. It rises to a blunt point.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric 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 ritual deposits and structural evidence.

The area scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. It is circular and measures 16m in diameter.