The Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust
Historic Environment Record
 

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Sweyne's Howes Burial Chambers (south)

Primary Reference Number (PRN) : 00122w
Trust : Glamorgan Gwent
Community : Llangennith, Llanmadoc and Cheriton
Unitary authority : Swansea
NGR : SS4210389818
Site Type (preferred type first) : Neolithic Chambered tomb
Status : SSSI

Summary :
A group of large conglomerate boulders and slabs associated with a slight mound roughly triangular in shape. The largest slab (max 2.7m across) are situated at the N end, most standing upright to a max height of 1.2m. There is one other upright slab, r

Description :
A group of large conglomerate boulders and slabs associated with a slight mound roughly triangular in shape. The largest slab (max 2.7m across) are situated at the N end, most standing upright to a max height of 1.2m. There is one other upright slab, rather smaller, at the E side. Otherwise the monument consists of a jumble of boulders of which no clear sense can be made. No chamber is apparent.

Intervisible with neighbouring chambered tomb 121w. 15.8m NE-SW x 14.0m NE-SW; 1.2m max high GGAT 72 Prehistoric Funerary and Ritual Sites survey 2001. (1956) The mound of large conglomerate boulders is spread in an E- W direction forming an oval 17.0m x 14.0m . It has an average height of 0.7m . There are several large upright and leaning slabs away from the chamber which is in the SW. It has been completely ruined and the stones now form no definite pattern. The chamber is in an area of moorland. ( Source 02 )

(1967/1976) At about 140 m above O.D. The S. cairn measures 20.7 m N.- S. by 14.9 m and has an overall height of 0.7 m . The inner cairn contains a few larger boulders, some earthfast, which seems to have formed the E. and W. sides of a wedge- shaped arrangement. At the N. end of the cairn are several large slabs, of which one upright 1.3 m high at the N.W. and another inclined to it at an obtuse angle may have formed one end of a crescentic forecourt, continued to the N.E. by five slabs now recumbent. There is no group obviously representing the site of a chamber. It has been suggested that the concave edge of one central slab, which is up to 0.5 m thick, has resulted from the removal of part of it for a millstone. ( Source 01 )

(1985) The bracken cover at present obscures much of the detail of the monument , but the stones can be seen to stand on a slight eminence, and their numbers seem to suggest that this structure may originally have been more impressive than the N. cairn. Today, however the reverse is true.(Source 10 )

(1989) No change ( Source 07 )

(1995) The previous scheduled area of the 2 Sweyne's Houses cairns covered a large area of blank moorland, a large circle having been drawn on the map at a considerable distance out from the actual monuments. The new scheduled area measures for N cairn 19m x 13m and for the S cairn 21m x 15m.

(1996) The site remains as previously described. ( Source 11 )

Sources :
Dillon E & Latham J , 1987 , The South West Gower Properties - Part Three, Rhossili Down
Roese H.E. , 1982 , Some aspects of Topographical locations of Neolithic and Bronze age monuments in Wales - IV - Chambered Tombs and Burial Chambers. , The Bulletin of the Board of Celtic Studies : XXIX pt.IV : 763-775
10/PM List/Cadw/1995/SAM List
01/PM List/RCAHM/1976/Glam Invent p30 no32
05/MM Record Card/OS/1977/SS 48 NW 2
03/PM Desc Text/Daniel GE/1950/Prehistoric Chambered Tombs p209
04/PM List/Grimes WF/1931/BBCS vol VI plI pp88-9
09/MM Desc Text/National Trust/1987/Arch Survey/SW Gower III p11
02/MM Record Card/OS/1957/SS 48 NW 2
06/PM List/NCC/1979/Stat Sites Nat Parks 1949/West Glam pp19,43,map
08/PM Desc Text/Grimes WF/1984/Glam County Hist vol II pp147-8
07/MM Desc Text/Cadw/Burnham HB/1989/AM107
10/PM List/Cadw/1985/SAM List
11/MM Desc text/ CADW/ Burnham/ HB/ 1996/ AM107

Events :
E003896 : Rhossili Down National Trust Properties (year : 1987)

Related records
GGAT Historic Environment Record (HER) 121w
GGAT Historic Environment Record (HER) 144w
GGAT Historic Environment Record (HER) 5036w

Compiled date :


March 29, 2025, 2:25 pm - HTML file produced from GGAT HER Charitable Trust Ltd. Heathfield House, Heathfield, Swansea SA1 Tel. 01792 655208; Fax 01792 474469 website: www.ggat.org.uk  email: her@ggat.org.uk Registered Charity no. 505609
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