Llyn Eiddew Bach Round Cairns

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

A group of Bronze Age funerary and ritual monuments forming part of a string of archaeological sites running along the line of a high-level route, now a public footpath, which used to be an important pack-horse route and is probably prehistoric in origin.

ME060A - A round cairn consisting of an irregular heap of stone on a larger platform. Much of the stone appears to have been removed and the rest rearranged; traces of walling suggest that at one time there was a small sheep-shelter upon/within it. There are no visible kerbstones at present but they could be around the edge of the grassed-over platform.

ME060B - A round cairn, fairly similar to Cairn A in size and general appearance, but has clearly been dug into. There are two small upright stones on the W, angled slightly outwards, within the original circumference of the cairn; these cannot be part of a kerb round the outer edge but probably did form part of a continuous circle at one time, perhaps more like a ring cairn. The remaining stone has been rearranged. A short stretch of wall runs off to the SE.

ME060C - Between Cairns A and B, but nearer the former, lies an enigmatic little group of stones. There are two small standing stones close to each other, a small oval setting of low uprights, another setting which has a straight line of small uprights with others to one side apparently irregularly arranged, a large fallen stone which may once have stood upright on its flat base, and perhaps two very small cairns. The whole group has presumably been extensively robbed, and may originally have been a group of several small cairns of different types.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric funerary and ritual practises. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. The structures themselves may be expected to contain archaeological information concerning chronology and building techniques.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.