ME144

Settlements SW of Bryn Cader Faner  

10/08/1994  

Designated  

Gwynedd  

Talsarnau  

264544  

335108  

Domestic  

Hut Circle Settlement  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument. The site consists of two prehistoric settlements (groups of hut circles and small enclosures) both built over and obscured by large later sheepfolds, and a field system of low walls, the stones of which project through the turf. There is also a third settlement, not well preserved but without later rebuilding, just outside the SA to the N. All are on the W side of a high-level, shallow, boggy valley which is traversed by a main footpath, once a pack horse route and probably prehistoric in origin. They are very close to the well-known and much visited cairn, Bryn Cader-Faner. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric settlement and land use. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. The structures themselves may be expected to contain archaeological information concerning chronology and building techniques. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.