Clawdd Mawr, Mynydd Caerau

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

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

The monument consists of a linear earthwork, a substantial bank and ditch forming a major boundary between two adjacent landholdings. It may date from the medieval period. The dyke runs almost straight for 192 metres WNW to ESE at about 490m above OD. It is located roughly 15m above the floor of a narrow saddle running east from Mynydd Caerau, on a slope running steeply westwards. The north end lies at the head of a steep-sided natural gully, the south on a steep slope. There is a gap where a track crosses it, but this appears recent. The dyke has been formed by throwing earth downwards from a ditch on the upper side. Near the north end, the bank and ditch measure about 7.5m by about 1m high overall, but the earthwork steadily decreases in size towards the south end, where it is now merely a shelf about 1.5m wide. There is no sign of stonework.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval defensive organisation and settlement. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. A linear earthwork 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.