ME102

Bedd-y-Brenin Round Cairn  

22/04/1972  

Designated  

Gwynedd  

Arthog  

263439  

311485  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Round Cairn  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument. The monument comprises the remains of a cairn, a burial monument, which probably dates to the Bronze Age (c.2300 - 800 BC). It measures c.23m in diameter and is up to 1.5m high. The E side has been disturbed by sheepfolds which have exposed a small cist 0.75m x 0.45m with a capstone lying a little to the south. The W side of the cairn is on the whole better preserved. The site occupies a local summit and would have enjoyed wide views when constructed. The cairn overlooks at least one ancient routeway through the Meirionnydd hills and is among a number of sites in the local area which represent the ritual and settlement landscape along this routeway. The name Bedd-y-Brenin may embody a folk memory of the site’s former importance. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. It 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. The cairn is part of a larger cluster of monuments and its importance is further enhanced by its group value. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.