Members of Llyn Syfaddan History Group
were afforded an opportunity to visit this Prehistoric site located on
private land near Manest Court, Llanhamlach with a guided tour by the
landowners.
The Scheduled Monument consists of
the remains of a chambered long barrow, dating to the early Neolithic
(c. 4,200BC - 3,000BC).
A long barrow is a roughly rectangular
or trapezoidal mound of earth and/or stone, usually between 25m and 120m
long, with a length exceeding twice its greatest width. The mound may be
edged with a timber or stone revetment, and they contain one or more
stone or wooden burial chambers at one end.
This mound was
probably originally 100ft long and is 56ft wide at the south end,
decreasing in height southwards. The chamber at the north end is 5ft 9in
long and 3ft 4in wide. The capstone measures 7ft by 6ft and more than
covers the chamber, which has been disturbed. There are symbols on three
of the uprights and are probably Christian. There are five uprights in
front and at the north of the chamber and is probably part of an
entrance passage or another chamber.
The monument is of national
importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric
burial and ritual practices. The features are an important relic of a
prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retain significant
archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence
of both intact ritual and burial deposits, together with environmental
and structural evidence.
Chambered long barrows may be part of a
larger cluster of monuments and their importance can further enhanced by
their group value. The scheduled area comprises the remains described
and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to
survive.
Designated Historic Asset GIS Data, The Welsh
Historic Environment Service (Cadw), 27 August 2026 licensed under the
Open Government Licence
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
