‘Prominent remains of an abandoned farmstead on a ridge overlooking Cwmdare. The ruins lie within an extensive network of drystone enclosures and comprises the featureless remains of two masonry buildings, long axis parallel to the gently sloping hillside, with rectilinear gardens and fragmentary traces of at least one other building. The house appears to be the smaller building on the east side: it consists of a direct-entry dwelling with two internal compartments. The neat, squared masonry suggests it is not particularly old, perhaps circa 1800, and on the tithe map it is named as Cefn Cynnon.

The map also shows a rounded enclosure (‘cae bach’) straddling the outermost boundary wall on the NW side, and connected to the farmstead by a walled lane. This is untypical of the shape of the neighbouring fields and it is tempting to think that the enclosure might have been an early feature that was incorporated into the farmstead. Significantly, there is a presumed Iron Age settlement further along the ridge (NPRN 300093 etc). Unfortunately, the walls shown on the tithe map have all but disappeared, although the western flank of the enclosure is still reflected by the curved line of the more modern field walls.’

Source: notes by Paul Davis

RCAMHW, 21 April 2021