Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Cefn Cil-sanws, cairn on SW side of
Vaynor, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
The record
- Designation
- Scheduled monument
- Site type
- Round Cairn
- Period
- Prehistoric
- Date of designation
- 29 June 2009
- Community
- Vaynor
- Unitary authority
- Merthyr Tydfil
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates (centre of the scheduled area)
- 51.77849, -3.41467
- SAM number
- GM599
- Cadw record number
- 4318
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
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1636 "Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ..." (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 burial cairn, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c.2300 BC - 800 BC) and is situated in open moorland on the south-west-facing slopes of Cefn Cil-sanws, a ridge on the south side of the Brecon Beacons that overlooks Cwm Taf. The stone-built cairn is circular on plan and measures about 11.5m in diameter and 0.4m in height. Although it has been disturbed in the past - a large shelter has been created within its top - the majority of the base of the cairn appears to remain intact and undisturbed and several stretches of kerb stones are visible.
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 structural evidence and intact burial or ritual deposits. The importance of the monument is further enhanced by the topographical association of the cairn with the well preserved ring cairn to the north (GM567) and to the cairn cemetery that is situated on a terrace further to the north-east (GM568).
The area to be scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.
Nearby in the register
- Cefn Cil-sanws defended enclosureEnclosure - Defensiveunder 1 mi
- Milestone on A470 near Wyrlod-dduTransportunder 1 mi
- Cefn Cil-Sanws ring cairnRing Cairnunder 1 mi
- Milestone on A470 near Dan-y-graigNo class recordedunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.