Pen-Rhiw Burial Chamber

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 three uprights which support a large capstone which was re-erected to its present position in recent years. The rectangular burial chamber is orientated south to north and is open on the southern side; it measures, 4m in length, 2.3m wide and 1m in height. The western upright of the chamber extends the 4m length of the chamber and is 1m high and 0.3m in thickness. The eastern side stone is much shorter and from the open end extends for a third of the length of the chamber with dimensions of, 1.3m in length, 1m high and has a thickness of 0.3m. The end stone at the northern side abuts the western upright closing north-western corner of the chamber and measures, 2.3m in length, 1m high and has a thickness of 0.3m. There is a further earthfast stone at the open north-eastern corner of the chamber and numerous smaller stones strewn within the scheduled area.

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.