Y Capel Stone Circle

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the scheduled monument.

The monument comprises the remains of a stone circle, which probably dates to the Bronze Age (c.2300 - 800 BC). It measures approximately 26m by 23m and is situated on a spur between two small valleys, overlooked by the flanks of the wider main valley and with wide views to the NE and SW. The hill on which the stone circle was built may have been surrounded by open water in the Bronze Age.

In 1977 54 stones were located, the largest measuring 0.6m long by 0.2m thick by 0.4m high, but six stones were below the ground surface. In 1980 only 38 stones were visible, but the remainder were confirmed by probing the ground, this change is perhaps the result of the increase in the depth of a layer of peat across the site.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. The features are an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retain significant archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of both intact ritual and burial deposits, together with environmental and structural evidence. Stone circles are often 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.