Coity Burial Chamber

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 chambered tomb dating to the Neolithic period (c. 4800 BC - 2900 BC). Chambered tombs were built and used by local farming communities over long periods of time. There appear to be many regional traditions and variations in shape and construction.

This structure is ruined by the collapse of the supporting members of the capstone. But it seems probable that most of the constructional elements of the chamber are present although crushed and broken beneath the capstone. It consists of a large, roughly rectangular capstone which measures 2m in length, 1.8m wide and c. 0.3m in thickness. The western end of the capstone rests on the ground whilst its centre sits on large stones, so that its eastern end is 1.5m above ground. Situated beneath the capstone are large stones of similar thickness, some flat, some leaning or upright. Just to the east, against the field boundary are three more large stones, of similar thickness, two upright, 0.6m and 0.4m high, and one leaning on them 1m in height and 0.5m wide. Protruding from the ground to the south of these are four an earthfast stone of which very little is visible.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual. 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 or ritual deposits and environmental and structural evidence, including a buried prehistoric land surface. Chambered tombs may be part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can 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.