DE273

Maes Merddyn Ring Cairn  

12/04/2001  

Designated  

Conwy  

Pentrefoelas  

285917  

354630  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Ring Cairn  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of a ring cairn of earth and stone, which probably dates to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC). The cairn comprises two elements, with a small round barrow lying within a larger ring cairn. The mounument is surrounded by an earth and stone bank which measures 10m in diameter, 1.75m wide x 0.6m high. This encloses a circular area measuirng 6.5m across within which a stone and turf mound measuring 3.75m in diameter and 0.4m high has been constructed. There is a hole in the top of the inner mound which may indicate antiquarian invstigations. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. The feature is an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retains significant archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of both intact ritual and burial deposits, together with environmental and structural evidence. Ring 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. It is circular and measures 2m in diameter.