Bedd Gorfal Ring Cairn

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), which sits in the angle between two tracks amidst undulating semi improved upland pasture sloping down to the southeast. The monument itself comprises of a circular setting of upright thin slabs about 5.5m in diameter, set into a grassed over bank of stones which extends a further 2m. Nine slabs are visible above the turf with two more to the northeast. The largest slab at the northern edge of the ring is 1m in height, 0.8m wide and 0.24m deep, with the smallest stone at the south being 0.1m in height.

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.