Scheduled Monuments- Full Report
Summary Description of a Scheduled Monument
Reference Number
MM342
Name
Graig Ddu round cairn
Date of Designation
02/04/2009
Status
Designated
Location
Unitary Authority
Monmouthshire
Community
Crucorney
Easting
328450
Northing
226449
Broad Class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Site Type
Round Cairn
Period
Prehistoric
Description
Summary Description and Reason for Designation
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 in open moorland on a S-facing terrace on Graig Ddu, on the E facing slopes of Bal-Bach. The stone-built cairn is circular on plan and measures about 13m in diameter and up to 0.9m in height. Although it has been disturbed in the past - an excavation in 1980 revealed a well-preserved central cist - the base of the cairn remains intact and undisturbed. The cist measures 1.6m from E to W.
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 structural evidence and intact burial or ritual deposits.
The area scheduled comprises the remains described and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. It is circular and measures 30m in diameter.