PE517

Mynydd Castlebythe Ring Barrow  

11/12/2006  

Designated  

Pembrokeshire  

Puncheston  

202768  

229633  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Ring Barrow  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of a ring barrow, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 BC - 800 BC) and situated within open heathland near the summit of Mynydd Castlebythe. The well-preserved ring barrow is circular on plan and measures c. 16m in diameter. The bank measures c. 4.0m in width and 0.5m in height. A curvilinear area of reed growth outside the S perimeter of the earthwork suggests the presence of a ditch. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. The monument is well preserved and is an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of ritual deposits together with environmental and structural evidence. Its importance is further enhanced by the group value formed by its spatial association with two Bronze Age round barrows on the summit of Mynydd Castlebythe. The area to be scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. It is circular and measures 35m in diameter.