The Graig Settlement

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

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

The Graig settlement is a deserted post-medieval village, occupied from at least the first half of the 18th century through until the beginning of the 20th century. It is possible that some of the buildings are even older. The settlement comprises the ruins of at least 25 individual dwelling houses, many with additional outhouses, outside lavatories, animal enclosures and other pens. One building has an unusual and well preserved conical pig sty. Only two of the buildings show evidence of stone built hearths. One of these probably served as the village bakehouse since it has a stone oven and hearth.

The village was constructed using locally quarried stone, as demonstrated by nearby quarries and limekilns, used to produce the lime mortar. However, it is likely that all of the surviving buildings were never necessarily all in contemporary occupation since records suggest that occupation at the western end was earlier than that at the east, and that these houses had been deserted by the mid 19th century. The Graig therefore has the added archaeological interest of demonstrating several phases of occupation, and houses built during different periods.

As well as buildings, there are many field walls, enclosures, terraces and lynchets present around the buildings, marking out areas of cultivation and probable animal enclosures. Records suggest that orchards and vineyards were cultivated around the settlement.

The Graig settlement has particular historical and archaeological importance because of its survival as a complete post-medieval village. The variety of buildings, mostly domestic, but also including communal structures such as the bakehouse serve to demonstrate how a village has developed and altered during its lengthy period of occupation. This, combined with documentary sources including tithe records and early maps, show how the village grew and declined during the period from the 18th through to the 20th century.

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