Prehistoric Sites in Wales - A Photo Gallery

Prehistoric Sites in

WALES

by Martin J Powell

Page 1 of 4

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The abbreviation 'Ast' indicates that the site is included in the archaeoastronomy study of monuments in South Wales

Maes-y-Felin

Chambered Cairn

County: Vale of Glamorgan (South Glamorgan)

Ordnance Survey Grid Ref: ST 101 723

O.S. Map (Multimap)

This site is also known as St Lythans (after the nearby village) or Gwâl-y-Filiast ("lair of the greyhound bitch"). It is a classic example of a type of Neolithic burial chamber commonly known in Wales as a cromlech (from theWelsh crwm-llech meaning 'curved stone'). They are the oldest buildings in Wales.

Four mudstone slabs stand at the Eastern end of a much ploughed down long cairn, 88 ft (27 m) long by 36 ft (11 m) wide. The three uprights form a rectangular chamber measuring 6½ ft (2 m) long by 5 ft (1.5 m) wide. The capstone is pitched upwards slightly towards the Eastern end. There is a hole through the rear stone of the chamber, through which the spirits of the dead are said to have flown.

The site has not been excavated, although human remains and pottery were found here in 1875.

A local legend says that the field in which the tomb stands is cursed, and that nothing will grow there - apart from the grass, that is! [Ast]

The Harold's Stones

Stone Row

County: Monmouthshire (Gwent)

O.S. Grid Ref: SO 499 051

O.S. Map (Multimap)

Three stones of conglomerate sandstone stand in a line 39 ft (12 m) long in a field beside the village of Trellech (also spelled Trelleck or Trelech, meaning "village of stones"). They all lean at various angles, although we may assume that they were originally upright. The row is aligned in a NE-SW direction. The tallest stone, at the South-west, is 11 ft (3.3 m) tall. The central stone has been shaped by hand and it has two large circular hollows (known as cup-marks) on its South-western face. [Ast]

A carving of the stones, dated 1689, can be seen on a sundial in the nearby church. The heights of the stones are marked (in feet) and above them is a Latin inscription:

MAJOR SAXIS

"Greater in regard to the Stones"

Ty Illtud

Chambered Cairn

County: Powys (Brecknockshire)

O.S. Grid Ref: SO 098 264

O.S. Map (Multimap)

The Ty Illtud chamber measures 7 ft (2.2 m) by 4 ft (1.3 m) and is positioned slightly offset from the centre of its enclosing mound. The inner faces of the chamber slabs are decorated with over sixty faint symbols, mainly crosses and lozenges (see selection of graphite rubbings). These probably date from medieval times and were perhaps an attempt to exorcise the paganism of the site. The capstone slopes downward towards the entrance and is only supported by the two side slabs. A large vertical slab 6 ft (1.8 m) long (visible in the foreground) appears to be the remnant of a forecourt-type structure.

A "heape of stanes" once reported to have covered the chamber seems to have been removed in the 17th century. The name of the site means "House of Illtud", after the Franco-Celtic monk St Illtud (ca. 425-525 AD). [Ast]

Bryn Celli Ddu

Chambered Cairn

County: Anglesey (Ynys Môn)

O.S. Grid Ref: SH 507 702

O.S. Map / Aerial View (Multimap)

The "hill of the dark grove" is a passage-grave set within a circular mound 85 ft (26 m) in diameter. The mound is held in place by a revetment of large stones. The passage into the mound is 23 ft (7 m) long and roofed. It opens into a polygonal shaped chamber of six upright stones at the centre of the mound. A single pillar of stone stands inside the chamber and since it serves no structural purpose, it presumably had a ritual significance. A stone within the chamber has a spiral carved on it. The passage faces towards the ENE, and may have been orientated towards sunrise on the Celtic festival days of Beltane and Lughnasa (equivalent to the present day May Day and Lammas).

The design and structure of this tomb has many similarities to the passage tombs located across the Irish Sea in Northern and Eastern Ireland.

Maen Llia

Standing Stone

County: Powys (Brecknockshire)

O.S. Grid Ref: SN 924 192

O.S. Map (Multimap)

A 12 ft (3.6 m) high monolith of sandstone conglomerate stands on the marshy ground of the Llia Valley in the Brecon Beacons National Park. The stone can clearly be seen against the skyline when approaching from the South of the valley. It is orientated in a North-South direction, roughly in line with the valley. The stone is assumed to be of Bronze Age date, and has not been excavated. Two faint inscriptions in the lower right half of the stone, possibly in Roman and Ogham scripts, were identified in 1922.

A Roman road called Sarn Helen passes about 980 ft (300 m) to the East of the stone.

Nicholaston

Chambered Cairn

County: West Glamorgan

O.S. Grid Ref: SS 507 888

O.S. Map (Multimap)

Buried amongst the bracken of Cefn Bryn on the Gower peninsula to the West of Swansea, this small chamber is set within an oval-shaped mound some 121 ft (37 m) long by 65 ft (20 m) wide. The chamber is built from local conglomerate and measures 4 ft (1.2 m) by 3 ft (0.9 m).

The original access was from the North-east, over a paved area and a sill-stone at the chamber entrance. Excavation in 1939 found no evidence of any entrance passage through the mound to the chamber. [Ast]

Heston Brake

Chambered Cairn

County: Monmouthshire (Gwent)

O.S. Grid Ref: ST 505 886

O.S. Map (Multimap)

Heston Brake stands in an elevated field at Portskewett village with views over the Bristol Channel and the old and new Severn Bridges. Two portal stones mark the entrance to a passage 13 ft (4 m) long and 5 ft (1.5 m) wide. The chamber itself is 10 ft (3 m) long, now roofless and lined with crude, skeletal blocks of stone. One of the side stones has a hole through it.

The chamber is positioned slightly offset from the passage, suggesting that the passage may have been a later addition to the chamber. Excavation in 1888 revealed skeletons in the chamber. [Ast]

Penywyrlod (Talgarth)

a.k.a. Pen y Wrlod

Chambered Cairn

County: Powys (Brecknockshire)

O.S. Grid Ref: SO 151 315

O.S. Map (Multimap)

This impressive long cairn was discovered in 1972 by a farmer quarrying for stone. A partial excavation revealed an unusually large cairn some 170 ft (52 m) long by 72 ft (22 m) wide, orientated SE-NW. The cairn still survives to a height of around 8 ft (2.5 m). Four chambers were uncovered and also a small cist in the South-east 'horn' which contained the skull of an infant. More chambers are likely to exist on the South-western (unexcavated) section.

Radiocarbon dating of human bone from one of the chambers gave a date for the cairn's construction of around 3800 to 3600 BC, making it one of the oldest known cairns in Southern Britain. The chambers had been filled with rubble, and the forecourt blocked with stone, at the end of the cairn's use.

A sheep's femur bone, punched through with three holes, was found in the entrance passage to one of the smaller chambers. It may have been a prehistoric flute or whistle - in which case, it is the oldest musical instrument yet found in the British Isles. [Ast]

Maen Madoc

Inscribed Standing Stone

County: Powys (Brecknockshire)

O.S. Grid Ref: SN 918 158

O.S. Map (Multimap)

Maen Madoc ("Madoc's Stone") is 9 ft (2.7 m) tall and stands beside the Sarn Helen Roman road. It has been re-erected twice in recent history; once in the 19th century and again in 1940, when it was moved about 59 ft (18 m) from its previous location.

On the side of the stone is a 5th-6th century Latin inscription:

DERVAC FILIVST IVST JACIT

"Dervacus, son of Justus. He lies here."

Cerrig Duon

Stone Circle & Row

County: Powys (Brecknockshire)

O.S. Grid Ref: SN 851 206

O.S. Map (Multimap)

This atmospheric circle is slightly egg-shaped and comprises twenty stones of Pennant sandstone, each around 1½ ft (0.5 m) in height. About 29 ft (9 m) to the NNE of the circle is an outlier called Maen Mawr ("large stone") which is almost 6½ ft (2 m) high (centre of picture). An avenue of small stones some 147 ft (45 m) long leads up the hill to the North-east of the circle.

The noted archaeo-astronomer Prof. Alexander Thom considered that Maen Mawr, when seen from the centre of the circle, marked the rising position of the star Arcturus as it would have been around 1950 BC.

About 0.6 miles (1 km) to the NNW of the circle, higher up on the slope of a mountain, is the Waun Lleuci monolith. It is 6 ft (1.9 m) tall and its long axis points towards the circle. [Ast]

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