Rug Mound

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

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

Rûg Mound comprises the remains of a round cairn with a cist, within a eleventh century castle mound. The artificial mound in its present form represents the motte, or mound for a timber/timber and stone castle. It stands 3.7m high, and is approximately oval, measuring 30-32.5m across. Excavations in 1878-9 to create an ice house chamber and access passage identified a stone-built cist which remains in situ to the rear of the later chamber. Further excavations in 1921 confirmed the dual nature of the mound, identifying burnt bones and soil within the cist., and a mound of stones set within a kerb. At the south side of the mound lies a large standing stone, which is reputed to be the last of a ring of stones which surrounded the burial mound. The later castle site has been identified with the Castle of Edeirnion mentioned in AD1160. The castle motte was formerly surrounded by a V-profile ditch. Octagonal footings excavated on the summit probably represent the footings of a post-medieval summer or banqueting house associated with the eighteenth century mansion.

The monument is of national importance as it represents a multi-period site, re-used through history for a variety of functions. It has potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices, as well as provide important information on Medieval settlement and defence. The well-preserved monument is an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape, and Medieval and post-Medieval settlement patterns, and retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of both intact burial, ritual, and later occupation deposits and environmental and structural evidence, including a buried prehistoric land surface. The site also has added value as a surviving element of a wider prehistoric ritual, and Medieval settlement landscape.

The area scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. The scheduled area measures c.56m NE-SW x c45m NW-SE.