GM286

Brynbychan Round Cairn  

05/10/1961  

Designated  

Rhondda Cynon Taff  

Mountain Ash  

306320  

198913  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Round Cairn  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains a burial cairn, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC). It is situated on the top of the mountain with panoramic views all around. The cairn is circular and measures 18m in diameter by 0.75m high. Some large kerb stones are showing around the edge, and on the north-west side some large flat slabs are exposed. There is an Ordnance Survey trig point in the middle and to the north-west of it a stone cist is exposed consisting of two upright slabs of stone c. 1.5m long lying parallel about 0.5m apart. 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.