Banc y Celyn, Brecknockshire - Royal Commission on the Ancient ...

Uplands Initiative – <strong>Banc</strong> y <strong>Celyn</strong> 2008suggested that there were more stones hidden from view beneath the surface, but as the siteis now a SAM, this exercise cannot be repeated.At the southeastern side of the postulated circle lies a low mound of earth, with at leastthree stones protruding through the grass or laying flat. The RCAHMWs<strong>Brecknockshire</strong> Inventory (RCAHMW, 1997, 158) interprets this mound as a “portal”into the stone circle. However, there is nothing to suggest that this mound is in any wayassociated with the two upright stones to the northwest, as it appears to form a discretefeature and may either be a naturally occurring mound or is even reminiscent of a smallcairn or barrow.The field evidence is at best inconclusive as to whether this site is a Bronze Age stonecircle. On the basis of surface evidence, it seems difficult to accept the identification ofthe features here as being anything other than naturally occurring. Furtherarchaeological investigation is required to confirm its designation as a stone circle.Cairns and BarrowsThe most significant field evidence for prehistoric activity in the <strong>Banc</strong> y <strong>Celyn</strong> studyarea are 17 Bronze Age funerary cairns and 3 possible funerary cairns, which have beenidentified.Prior to the field survey, only 7 Bronze Age funerary cairns or sites were recorded in theNMR for the area. These included six cairns;• Twyn y Bîg, Cairn – NPRN 305763• Blaen Llwyn Ddu Cairn - NPRN 305778• Gwaun Ymryson Cairn I - NPRN 305782• Cefn Clawdd Cairn I - NPRN 305781• Cefn Clawdd Cairn II - NPRN 305784• Gwaun Ymryson Cairn II - NPRN 305783Of these six cairns, the most impressive is undoubtedly the Cefn Clawdd Cairn II,which is curiously one of only two on the list which are not Scheduled AncientMonuments (Blaen Llwyn Ddu being the second). It is a relatively well-preservedcairn, the largest found within the study area. It survives as a prominent mound, visibleon the skyline when viewed from lower ground to the north and east. It measures 18min diameter and up to 1.2m high. The cairn has a hollow at its centre that gives themonument a ring like appearance. Whether this is an original characteristic, whichwould suggest that the cairn is in fact a ring cairn, or the result of antiquarian excavationor stone robbing which has disturbed the interior of the mound, is unclear. 19 th centuryOrdnance Survey surveyors saw the monument as being a ring-like feature and the 1831Ordnance Survey map depicts it as a ring. The 1st edition 1:2500 map of 1888 shows itas an “Old Sheepfold”, indicating that its ring-like bank was interpreted as the wall of aruined sheepfold.The only other feature of note is a stony mound at the western side of the cairn, whichhas been interpreted as possibly being a spoil heap cast up when the centre of the cairnwas dug out at some time in the past. However, it is not impossible that this mound is an32