Plas Maen Cottage round barrow

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

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

The monument comprises the remains of a fine round barrow, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c.2300 BC - 800 BC) and situated within mature woodland on a locally prominent knoll on a ridge that is aligned from N to S on the E-facing slopes of Hope Mountain. The earth and stone barrow is circular on plan and measures about 10.5m in diameter and up to 0.8m in height.

The monument is of national importance as an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual. The monument retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of both intact burial or ritual deposits and environmental and structural evidence, including traces of a buried prehistoric land surface underneath. Its survival within an area of improved agricultural land is also very rare and further enhances its importance.

The area to be scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. It is circular and measures 20m in diameter.