Troedrhiwhir Mountain ring cairn

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

The monument comprises the remains of a ring cairn, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c.2300 BC - 800 BC) and situated within open moorland on a terrace on Troedrhiwhir Mountain, above the confluence of the Nant Melyn and the Gwenfrwdd. The well-preserved ring cairn is circular on plan and measures about 9.5m in diameter within a stony ring bank spread to about 5m in thickness and up to 0.7m in height. The ring cairn is situated on a slight knoll, with wide views around the W arc and is overlooked by higher ground immediately to the E.

At least three small subrectangular recesses are visible set into the inner edge of the NE side of the ring bank; each measures 0.6m in width by 0.7m transversely and is up to 0.2m in depth. The recesses are evenly spaced, placed about 2m apart. A further four ill-defined possible recesses are also visible - and there is a larger subrectangular feature set into the ring bank on the SW side. This feature has well defined straight edges and measures 1.8m in length by 1m transversely and 0.1m in depth. These unusual features may be original, being deliberately placed within the well-defined inner edge of the ring bank, but may also indicate later reuse of the structure.

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 both ritual deposits and environmental and structural evidence. Its importance is further enhanced by the group value formed by its spatial association with similar Bronze Age monuments nearby, including the standing stone (CM353) situated to the SE and the stone circle and burial cairns to the NW and W (CM218 and 224 respectively).

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 35m in diameter.