Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Esgair Beddau cairns
Rhayader, Powys, Wales
A scheduled monument in Rhayader, Powys, recorded as Round Cairn (Prehistoric).
The record
- Designation
- Scheduled monument
- Site type
- Round Cairn
- Period
- Prehistoric
- Date of designation
- 26 January 2004
- Community
- Rhayader
- Unitary authority
- Powys
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates (centre of the scheduled area)
- 52.30701, -3.66557
- SAM number
- RD216
- Cadw record number
- 1080
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesPrinceton University LibraryDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
5 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1830 map "V.3:11-15:XV. Britisches Reich. A. Kon: England. b. Frstenthum Wales: Shire: 37-40" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Historical maps covering this location
- 1830 · V.3:11-15:XV. Britisches Reich. A. Kon: England. b. Frstenthum Wales: Shire: 37-40 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1883 · Watershed map England, Wales 3. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1898 · 179 Rhyader (Hills) (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1901 · Sheet 14. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
- 1903 · Philips' clear print half inch map of the Lake District (Princeton University Library)
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 two burial cairns, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c.2300 BC - 800 BC) and situated within open moorland on the E-facing terraced slopes of Clawdd Du Mawr, above and to the NW of Nant Cletwr. The grass-covered stone built cairns are both roughly circular on plan. The south-easternmost cairn (Esgair Beddau cairn A) measures about 6.5m in diameter and up to 0.5m in height. The north-westernmost cairn (Esgair Beddau cairn B) measures about 5.2m in diameter and up to 0.3m in height. At least seven small upright stones are visible within the kerb. Both cairns have fine views to the ESE and the mouth of their particular valley.
The monuments are of national importance as important relics of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and for the potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual. The monuments retain significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of both intact burial or ritual deposits and environmental and structural evidence, including traces of a buried prehistoric land surface underneath.
The area scheduled comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. They are circular and measure 15m in diameter (Esgair Beddau cairn A: SN 8655 6895) and 15m in diameter (Esgair Beddau cairn B: SN 8651 6897) respectively.
Nearby in the register
- Nant Cletwr barrowRound Barrowunder 1 mi
- Craig Coch Dam & Valve TowerWater Supply and Drainage2 mi
- Cefn Troedrhiw-drain cistCist burial2 mi
- Penygarreg Dam & Valve TowerWater Supply and Drainage3 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.