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

Uplands Initiative – <strong>Banc</strong> y <strong>Celyn</strong> 20083.3.8 Clearance Cairns & MoundsThe occurrence of groups of clearance cairns and earth mounds in several parts of thestudy area is an interesting characteristic of the <strong>Banc</strong> y <strong>Celyn</strong> study area. Over 50clearance cairns and 50 earth mounds were recorded during fieldwork in 2009.As can be seen in Figure 11, most of these features are found in 6 extensive groups.The two northernmost are found to the west of Pant y Llyn and, further east, aboveHendy. These groups are composed entirely of low earth mounds, which are usually 2or 3m in diameter, immediately upslope of which are found shallow hollows. It appearsthat these mounds are not the product of animal burrows, and they do not resemblebadger setts in any way. It is possible that the hollows have been created by theremoval of a tree or boulder. The only logical explanation is that these features are insome way associated with land improvement, although this cannot be certain.Similar earth mounds, always associated with a shallow hollows, are found in fewernumbers and more widely scattered in the southern half of the study area, but in generalstone clearance cairns are the most common product of post medieval or modern landimprovement, with groups of such cairns seen near Nantyroffeiriad Fawr, CefnGledwen and Cornelau Uchaf. A more widely scattered group of clearance cairns isalso found between Gwaun Ymryson and Cwm Hafotty, many of which have beencreated within the past 5-6 years to make bracken cutting easier.Figure 11: ClearanceCairns and Mounds61