MM045

Cairns West of Craig y Dyffryn  

 

Designated  

Torfaen  

Henllys  

325100  

192742  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Round Cairn  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains four burial cairns, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC), located on an area of level ground on the S-facing slopes of Mynydd Henllys in an area of former forestry. Cairn A is a circular in plan, 21m in diameter and 2.3m high, and survives as a pronounced mound with a flat top. There is a central hollow in the top of the cairn, 1m deep, which has exposed the stone core of the monument. Cairn B is located 5m to the S of cairn A and consists of a roughly oval shaped spread of stones measuring 12m NE/SW by 10m. There are faint traces of an earthen bank on the S side of the cairn. Cairn C is located immediately S of cairn B and appears to be a platform or a ring cairn, although it has been significantly disturbed by tree roots. It comprises a stone and earth bank, 1m high, surrounding a level area 6m in diameter. Cairn D is located 40m to the NW of cairn A and comprises a pronounced circular spread of stones and earth 11m in diameter and 1.3m high. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. 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, together with environmental and structural evidence. Cairns 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.