ME212

Tyddyn Bach Round Barrow  

11/03/2003  

Designated  

Gwynedd  

Brithdir and Llanfachreth  

274593  

321968  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Round Barrow  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument. The monument comprises the remains of an exceptionally large, well-preserved and largely intact round barrow, which probably date to the Early Bronze Age (c.2050-1500 BC). The monument is some 25m in diameter and 1.6m high and is unusual in a Welsh upland context in comprising a barrow of earth rather than the more usual cairn of stones. In 1873 human bones, a gold ring and a bronze spearhead were found in a stone box or "cist" underlying a standing stone at the centre of the mound. The spearhead dates to the Early Bronze Age (c.2050-1500 BC). The stone was one of only a handful of dated standing stones in Wales and is also one of the earliest. The site has proven archaeological value and is one of the most important Welsh examples of a standing stone marking a burial of this period. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. The features are an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retain significant archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of intact ritual and burial deposits, environmental and structural evidence and preserved prehistoric ground surfaces below the monument. Barrows may be part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can be 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.