Bryn Beddau Round Barrows

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The monument comprises the remains of three burial monuments, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c.2300 - 800 BC).

Barrow A lies at SJ 0493 5289 on a level area measuring approximately 16m x 15m, with a bank 2m wide and 0.3m high visible at the south and west. One large stone is visible above ground, but the uneven surface suggests that more stone lies just beneath. A forest road runs immediately to the E of the cairn.

Barrow B lies at SJ 0505 5296 and measures approximately 10m in diameter and stands up to 0.7m high. It survives as a low ring of stony material from which a number of large stones protrude. A footpath passes to the south of the cairn.

Barrow C survives as a low circular bank at SJ 0509 5310. It measures
7m in diameter and 2.5m wide, standing to a maximum height of 0.5m. The circumference was originally recorded as measuring 27 paces. The earthwork is mostly turf covered but on the west side there are three stones visible sticking out of the ground and a number of others are present just beneath the surface. Two of these stones are approximately 0.5m high. A forest road runs to the NE of the cairn.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. The monument is an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of both intact burial and ritual deposits, together with environmental and structural evidence. The importance of these barrows is further enhanced by their group value.

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