Long Barrow (destroyed): OS Grid Reference – SS 5848 9227
Also Known as:
- Cae Bryn-y-garn
Archaeology & History
Described in 1925 in a report by the Royal Institute of South Wales as “the remains of a long barrow,” it seems that all remains of this old site have been destroyed. Where the long tomb once stood are now some bungalows (anyone know if they’re haunted!?).
The tomb was quite an impressive one from all accounts: aligning north-northeast, it was some 20 yards long and 10 yards wide (at its widest), standing between 6-8 feet tall. When building operations started here in 1959, a disturbed mound of stones was noticed, but by 1965 the bungalows had been built where once rested the ancient dead.
The field-name to its immediate east — Cae Bryn-y-garn — tells us the old name of the cairn, as known to local folk. Quite what its folklore may have been, I’ve yet to hear…
References:
- Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments, Wales, An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan – Volume 1, HMSO: Cardiff 1976.
© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian