ME208

Ffridd Fron Kerb Cairn  

18/02/2003  

Designated  

Gwynedd  

Llanfair  

263155  

332393  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Kerb Cairn  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the well-preserved and largely intact remains of a burial cairn, which probably date to the Early Bronze Age (c. 2000-1500 BC). It is 4.5m in diameter and stands 0.5m high. Along its north-western edge, the heap of stones making up the body of the cairn is held in place by a kerb of six upright slabs of stone about 0.6m in height. This feature gives rise to the term "kerb cairn". In the centre of the cairn are the remains of a stone box or "cist" which once held the body or ashes of those interred in the monument. The cairn stands on an east-facing shelf overlooking Cwm Mawr with spectacular views over Cwm Bychan and Bwlch Tyddiad to the south and east. 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 structural evidence and intact burial or ritual deposits, as well as preserved prehistoric ground surfaces below the monument. Kerb cairns may be part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can be 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.