BR207

Bailey Bach Round Cairn and Cist  

21/04/1994  

Designated  

Powys  

Merthyr Cynog  

303044  

239271  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Cist burial  

Bronze Age  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of a stone cist surrounded by a round cairn, which probably dates to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC). The monument is situated on the end of a ridge within an area of upland open moorland. The monument comprises an amorphous mound, that may be partly natural in origin, measuring 42m E/W by 14m N/S. The cist consists of two upright slabs on top of which is an enormous capstone, measuring 2.65m in length, 1.35m wide and up to 0.4m thick. The N edge of the capstone rests on the ground, while the S end is supported by the two uprights, creating a small cist or chamber measuring 1.5m by 1m. 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.