Cedig 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 round cairn, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c.2300 BC - 800 BC) and situated within rough grazing on the ridge above and to the E of Afon Cedig. The grass-covered stone cairn is circular on plan and measures 8.5m in diameter and up to 0.8m in height. The cairn is situated on the SW side of an artificial terrace or platform measuring 12.5m in diameter and up to 0.3m in height on its S side. This platform may represent an earlier burial monument, such as a platform cairn, or may be an unusual structural feature related to the cairn itself. The platform has several large kerb stones visible on its SW side. The cairn has a central hollow, probably resulting from antiquarian excavation; and several associated spoil heaps, situated immediately to the N, E and S of the cairn respectively. A small modern cairn has been erected in the central hollow, possibly a marker cairn or rough sheep burial; and an earthen field bank is situated immediately to the NE, running from NW to SE.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual. The monument is an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability the presence of both intact burial or ritual deposits and environmental and structural evidence, including a buried prehistoric land surface. The surrounding peat growth also has good potential to contain paleoenvironmental evidence.

The area scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. It is circular and measures 25m in diameter.