Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Lecha Burial Chamber
Llanrhian, Pembrokeshire, Wales
The record
- Designation
- Scheduled monument
- Site type
- Chambered Tomb
- Period
- Prehistoric
- Community
- Llanrhian
- Unitary authority
- Pembrokeshire
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates (centre of the scheduled area)
- 51.89959, -5.18237
- SAM number
- PE028
- Cadw record number
- 2659
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1608 "(13) Cambriae Typus." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
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 chambered tomb, dating to the Neolithic period (c. 4,400 BC - 2,900 BC). Chambered tombs were built and used by local farming communities over long periods of time. There appear to be many regional traditions and variations in shape and construction.
The burial chamber is formed by an enormous capstone which measures 5.3m in length, 3.7m wide and is a maximum of 1.3m thick; it lies on two small side boulders with another boulder abutting onto the capstone. The chamber is 0.1m in height. A large natural lump of rock lies slightly uphill from the site.
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 of the presence of both intact burial or ritual deposits and environmental and structural evidence, including a buried prehistoric land surface. Chambered tombs 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.
Nearby in the register
- Moated Site 100m East of Caeforiog BridgeMoated Siteunder 1 mi
- Caerforiog BridgeTransportunder 1 mi
- Church of St HywelReligious, Ritual and Funeraryunder 1 mi
- Pont-y-CerbydTransportunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.