Burial Chambers (3000BC – 2000BC)
The Neolithic period starts from 4000BC, around the time when communities started farming and settling in an area, breaking away from the hunter-gatherer way of living. As small tribal communities settled, the population also grew, thus giving more importance to agricultural farming, creating new farmland and transforming the landscape around them.
It is around this time when Megalithic structures were constructed. Chambered tombs such as passage graves were mainly constructed from around 3500BC for the communal burial of the dead. Some would have been multiple burials covered by an earth barrow or stone cairn. Examples of these kinds of burial chambers are to be seen at Bryn Celli Ddu and Barclodiad y Gawres on Anglesey, probably the most well known of the burial chambers we have in this part of North Wales.
Types of Burial chambers
Passage grave – has narrow passage made of large stones, some have multiple graves (some have corbelled roofs)
Chambered tomb – covered by earth or barrow (mound)
Chambered cairn – a chamber covered by stones (some may be passage graves)
Dolmen (Cromlech) – usually single chambered tomb with flat capstone (portal tomb) – (ancient term for burial chamber)
Barrow (Tumulus) – a rounded earthen mound – bronze age, covering a burial
Long Barrow – a long Neolithic mound covering multiple burial chambers
Cairn – a rounded mound of stones, covering a burial
Not all cairns are mentioned in my list, as there are too many scattered around. Cairns usually consist of piles of stones covering later Bronze Age to Iron Age burials. They are not regarded in the same high regard as the earlier and larger Neolithic stone built burial chambers.
Below is a list of all the known burial chambers in the area
I have included an O/S number on all historical sites to enable everyone to locate using an O/S map.
Gwynedd
Moel Faban Summit Cairns – Bronze Age burial cairn cemetery – (Extensive ridge-top cemetery of cairns, running for some 300m) – Llanllechid SH634681
Bryn – Neolithic chambered tomb – Felinheli SH515660
Catellmai – possible collapsed burial chamber – Caeathro (nr Bontnewydd) SH496605
Glyn Arthur / Glascoed Cairn – Bronze Age burial cairn / possible round barrow – (nr Dinas Dinorwig) Llanddeiniolen SH546653
Parc Bach – burial chamber (possible rems) – (nr Dolbadarn) Llanberis SH585598
Frondeg / Sling – Neolithic chambered tomb – Llandygai SH605668
Carnedd y Saseon – a Bronze Age cairn with a possible capstone (part of a cairn cemetery) surrounded by 6 other cairns – Abergwyngregyn SH678717
Cors y Carneddau (Cefn Coch Cairn) – Bronze Age burial cairn stone covered mound – Cefn Coch, Penmaenmawr SH716746
Llety’r Filiast – chambered cairn – Llandudno SH772829
Allor Molloch / Hendre-Waelod – Neolithic chambered tomb – Glan Conwy SH792747
Rhiw (Caerhun Burial Chamber) – Neolithic chambered tomb – (nr Maen-y-Bardd) Tal-y-Fan, Rowen SH741718
Maen-y-Bardd – Neolithic chambered tomb – Tal-y-Fan, Rowen SH740717
Waen Bryn-Gwenith – burial chamber (possible dolmen) – Dolgarrog SH74476738
Capel Garmon – Neolithic chambered tomb (2 inner chambers) – Capel Carmon, Betws-y-Coed SH818543
Maen Pebyll – Bronze Age round barrow – Nebo (nr) Capel Garmon SH843566
Bachwen – Neolithic chambered tomb – Clynnog SH407494
Cromlech Pennarth – chambered tomb – Clynnog SH430512
Cromlech Cefnamlwch / Coetan Arthur – Neolithic chambered (dolmen) – (nr) Tudweiliog SH229345
Tan-y-Muriau /Rhiw – Neolithic chambered cairn (rems) – (nr Rhiw) Aberdaron SH237287
Bronheulog – collapsed chambered long cairn (rems) – (nr Rhiw) Aberdaron SH232282
Cilan Uchaf / Lech y Ddol – Neolithic chambered tomb – (nr Llanengan) Abersoch SH300235
Mynydd Tir y Cwmwd – burial chamber – (nr) Lanbedrog SH325311
Cromlech Y Ffor – megalithic round cairn chamber (cromlech) – Four Crosses SH399384
Cefn Isaf – chambered tomb (dolmen) – Rhoslan SH484409
Ystumcegid – chambered tomb dolmen – (nr) Rhoslan SH498413
Caer-Dyni – burial chamber – Criccieth – SH511383
Cist Cerrig – chambered tomb – (nr) Porthmadog SH544384
Gwern Einion – Neolithic chambered tomb (Dolmen) – (nr) Llanfair, Harlech SH587286
Dyffryn Ardudwy – 2 Neolithic double-chambered tomb – Dyffryn Ardudwy SH588228
Cors-y-Gedol – Neolithic chambered tomb – Dyffryn Ardudwy SH603228
Bron y Foel Isaf – chambered tomb – (nr) Coed Ystumgwern, Dyffryn Ardudwy SH607246
Carneddau Hengwm – Neolithic long cairn chambered tomb – (nr) Tal-y-Bont, Dyffryn Ardudwy SH613205
Anglesey
Bryn Celli Ddu – Neolithic passage grave & henge (c 2000BC late Neolithic) – Llanddaniel Fab SH507701
Bryn yr Hen Bobl – Neolithic chambered tomb (dolmen) – Llanddaniel Fab SH519690
Plas Newydd – (2) Neolithic chambered tombs (dolmen) – Llanddaniel Fab SH519697
Ty Mawr – Neolithic chambered tomb / passage grave – Llanfairpwllgwyngyll SH538721
Perthiduon – possible capstone boulder of a megalithic tomb, fallen on its supporters (dolmen) – Brynsiencyn SH480668
Carn – Neolithic round barrow, burial mound – Brynsiencyn SH488669
Carn – capstone of a megalithic tomb, fallen on its supporters (dolmen) -Brynsiencyn SH484666
Bodowyr – Neolithic passage grave – (nr) Llangaffo SH462681
Henblas Cromlech – large natural eratics (possibly adapted for Bronze Age burials) – Llangristiolus SH425719
Din Dryfol – Neolithic chambered cairn – Aberffraw SH395724
Barclodiad y Gawres – Neolithic passage grave (c 3000-2500BC) – Llangwyfan SH329707
Ty Newydd – Neolithic Burial Chamber (dolmen) – Llanfaelog SH344738
Trefignath – (3) Neolithic chambered long cairn (3000-2000BC) – Trearddur SH258805
Trearddur Burial Chamber – Prehistoric chambered tomb (impossible to be certain of original state) Trearddur SH259800
Borthwen Beach – a folly cromlech (dolmen) – Rhoscolyn SH271751
Presaddfed – (2) Neolithic chambered tombs(dolmen) – Bodedern SH347808
Bedd Branwen – Bronze Age round barrow cairn – Llanddeusant – SH361850
Maen Chwyf – possible collapsed chambered tomb / natural feature – (nr) Llannerchymedd SH432857
Lligwy – Neolithic chambered tomb (c 2500-2000BC late Neolithic) – (nr) Moelfre SH501860
Pant-y-Saer – Neolithic chambered tomb (Cromlech) – Benllech SH509824
Coed-y-Glyn – Neolithic chambered tomb – Benllech SH514817
Hendrefor / Ucheldref – (2) Neolithic chambered tombs – Llansadwrn SH551773
