MM209

Carn-y-Defaid Round Cairns  

12/10/1981  

Designated  

Torfaen  

Llanfoist Fawr  

327063  

209998  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Round Cairn  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of two burial cairns, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c 2300 - 800 BC). Cairn A is circular in plan, 16m in diameter and 1.8m high and built from limestone blocks. There is a large hole in the centre of the cairn, 6m in diameter and 1.5m deep that is probably the result of ancient disturbance, and on the SW side a small shelter has been made in the side of the cairn. Cairn B is located 60m to the SW, is circular in plan, 14m in diameter and 1.5m high and constructed from limestone blocks. There are two small hollows in the centre that have a combined diameter of 2m. 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.