Ancient Monuments

History on the Ground

This site is entirely user-supported. See how you can help.

Bachwen Burial Chamber

A Scheduled Monument in Clynnog, Gwynedd

More Photos »
Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

If Google Street View is available, the image is from the best available vantage point looking, if possible, towards the location of the monument. Where it is not available, the satellite view is shown instead.

Coordinates

Latitude: 53.0189 / 53°1'8"N

Longitude: -4.3752 / 4°22'30"W

OS Eastings: 240771

OS Northings: 349485

OS Grid: SH407494

Mapcode National: GBR 5C.FZLF

Mapcode Global: WH43Y.RCRZ

Entry Name: Bachwen Burial Chamber

Scheduled Date:

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 3155

Cadw Legacy ID: CN008

Schedule Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary

Category: Chambered long cairn

Period: Prehistoric

County: Gwynedd

Community: Clynnog

Traditional County: Caernarfonshire

Description

The monument consists of the remains of a chambered long cairn, dating to early Neolithic (c. 4,200BC - 3,000BC). A long cairn is a roughly rectangular or trapezoidal mound of 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 small tomb is aligned east to west and stands in the centre of a field overlooking the sea. It consists of four uprights, c. 1.1m high supporting a triangular capstone whose maximum dimensions are 2.5m length, 1.3m width and 0.5m thickness. The southern upright of the chamber is a modern replacement. A raised area around the stones denotes the remains of cairn material. The monument is best known for its decorated capstone with 110 cup-marks and two shallow grooves. Eight other cups occur on the east side of the capstone. The chamber was excavated in 1876; nothing of interest was recorded during that excavation.

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 environmental and structural evidence. Chambered long cairns 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.

Source: Cadw

Other nearby scheduled monuments

AncientMonuments.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact AncientMonuments.uk for any queries related to any individual ancient or schedued monument, planning permission related to scheduled monuments or the scheduling process itself.

AncientMonuments.uk is a Good Stuff website.