Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Ring Cairn on Tor Clawdd
Mawr, Swansea, Wales
A scheduled monument in Mawr, Swansea, recorded as Ring Cairn (Prehistoric).
The record
- Designation
- Scheduled monument
- Site type
- Ring Cairn
- Period
- Prehistoric
- Date of designation
- 17 July 1975
- Community
- Mawr
- Unitary authority
- Swansea
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates (centre of the scheduled area)
- 51.73957, -3.92711
- SAM number
- GM353
- Cadw record number
- 3567
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
5 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1636 map "Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ..." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1636 · Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ... (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1637 · The fourth table of England. Cornub. Devonia, Somerset etc. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1891 · Sheet 10. Ordnance Survey of England and Wales. . (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1898 · 230 Ammanford (Hills) (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1898 · 230 Ammanford (Outline) (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
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 ring cairn of earth and stone, which probably date to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC). It is situated close to the south western side of a causeway crossing Tor Clawdd, a moorland ridge 5km north northwest of Clydach and some 305m above sea level. The cairn has an internal diameter of c.16m which is enclosed by a bank which is 0.3m high and varies has a maximum width of 3.3m. There are traces of an external ditch with a maximum width of 2.1m on both the northwest and southern sides. On the south-eastern side there is a gap c. 2.1m wide which passes through both the bank and ditch.
The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. The feature is an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retains significant archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of both intact ritual and burial deposits, together with environmental and structural evidence. Ring cairns 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.
Nearby in the register
- Valve tower at Upper Lliw reservoir with bridge and bridge abutmentCivilunder 1 mi
- Bridge over Lower Clydach below Glynmeithrim UchafTransportunder 1 mi
- Circular pigsty at Pen-yr-esgymAgriculture and Subsistence1 mi
- Burial Chamber Nr Carn LlechartChambered Tomb2 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.