CN362

Bwlch Cowlyd cairn  

29/01/2004  

Designated  

Conwy  

Capel Curig  

271097  

360786  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Round Cairn  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of a burial cairn, probably dating to the Bronze Age (c.2300 BC - 800 BC) and situated within open moorland on the lower SW-facing slopes of Cwm Tal-y-braich. The grass and reed covered stone built cairn is circular on plan and measures about 8m in diameter and up to 0.9m in height. The cairn has been disturbed in the past, with several rubble-filled hollows visible in the centre and a large exposed cist (with adjacent capstone) on the SW side. Several kerbstones are visible. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual. 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 and environmental and structural evidence, including a buried prehistoric land surface. The importance of the monument is further enhanced by the group value formed by the proximity of the cairn to nearby monuments of similar date: Afon Bedol cairn and standing stone (CN360), Afon Bedol cist (CN361) and Nant y Benglog cairn (CN370). The area to be scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. It is circular and measures 25m in diameter.