ARCHAEOLOGIA CAMBRENSIS Journal of the Cambrian Archaeological Association VOLUME 120 (1971)

SH 361849; 354804. Both sites were cemetery mounds, built for multiple simultaneous burials. The cairn at Treiorwerth was a composite structure of glacial boulders capped by a thick layer of clay. The insertion into the top of the mound of three inhumations in long cists may account for some of the extensive disturbance noted. The principal finds were a primary series Collared Urn, a Cordoned Urn, and an Enlarged Food Vessel with a pair of ear bones from a six-year-old child. Other finds included more sherds and a biconical jet bead with grooved decoration. The close similarity in burial ritual between this site and Bedd Branwen (see 69/344) is emphasised by the jet beads and infant ear bones at both sites. The cairns appear to be burial places of large family groups; that using Bedd Branwen was probably the richer, fully able to import some items. A date of about 1400 BC seems appropriate for both sites. Appendices list cemetery mounds, cairn rings beneath barrows, accessory vessels accompanying urned cremations in Wales, urns with "Anglesey Neck", and small bone pommels. Specialists report on the bones and pollen. D V C

SM 770073. A heavy snowfall flattened the vegetation on this tidal islet sufficiently for a nearly complete survey to be made, and remaining details were supplied by an air-photograph of 1946. The settlement, approached by a path leading through a low bank, contained buildings set in long rows of uniform width, subdivided into about 110 compartments suggesting a total population of 150-250. Lethbridge's excavations had shown turf walls, and most of the artefacts were of late Roman date. A monastic establishment seems the most likely identification. A fresh examination of all the finds (bronze, RB and medieval pottery, stone and shale) informs the catalogue provided; the most significant find is a loose-ring bronze pin of ?5th-6th century date. The hope is expressed that a compromise may be reached between those who wish to conserve the rare vegetation on Gateholm and those who fear it will eventually obliterate the settlement remains.