Castell Bryn Gwyn
Encyclopedia
Castell Bryn Gwyn is a prehistoric
site on the Isle of Anglesey, west of Brynsiencyn. It is a circular clay and gravel bank covered with grass, still some 1.5m high and revetted externally by stone walls, which surround a level area some 54 metres in diameter. Its name
means "White Hill Castle".
The original use of this site is uncertain although it may have been a religious sanctuary. Later Neolithic pottery indicates use in this period, and it may have been a henge
monument at this time. The earliest bank and ditch belong to the end of the neolithic period (2500-2000 BC). During the Iron Age, the present wall was built, and it was refortified in Roman times and later.
Parking is exiguous; the site is accessible from the A4080 by a footpath. Another path follows the low ridge, southwest over stiles to the Bryn Gwyn stones
, or northeast, past the site of the former stone circle of Tre'r Dryw Bach, some 800 metres to Caer Lêb
where it meets a minor road with limited parking space.
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
site on the Isle of Anglesey, west of Brynsiencyn. It is a circular clay and gravel bank covered with grass, still some 1.5m high and revetted externally by stone walls, which surround a level area some 54 metres in diameter. Its name
Welsh placenames
The placenames of Wales derive in most cases from the Welsh language, but have also been influenced by linguistic contact with the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Anglo-Normans and modern English...
means "White Hill Castle".
The original use of this site is uncertain although it may have been a religious sanctuary. Later Neolithic pottery indicates use in this period, and it may have been a henge
Henge
There are three related types of Neolithic earthwork which are all sometimes loosely called henges. The essential characteristic of all three types is that they feature a ring bank and ditch but with the ditch inside the bank rather than outside...
monument at this time. The earliest bank and ditch belong to the end of the neolithic period (2500-2000 BC). During the Iron Age, the present wall was built, and it was refortified in Roman times and later.
Parking is exiguous; the site is accessible from the A4080 by a footpath. Another path follows the low ridge, southwest over stiles to the Bryn Gwyn stones
Bryn Gwyn stones
The Bryn Gwyn stones stand about 280 metres to the south-west of Castell Bryn Gwyn, on the low ridge some 2 metres above the valley of the Afon Braint on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. They are the tallest standing stones in Wales, some 4 metres high. In 1723 Henry Rowlands described them as part...
, or northeast, past the site of the former stone circle of Tre'r Dryw Bach, some 800 metres to Caer Lêb
Caer Lêb
Caer Lêb is a prehistoric site on the Welsh island of Anglesey, west of Brynsiencyn. Its name means "Leaven Castle". It is a low-lying site near the Afon Braint with a double row of pentangular banks and marshy ditches. The original entrance was on the east, other gaps are modern and caused by...
where it meets a minor road with limited parking space.