Scheduled MonumentsNorthern IrelandDungannonAbbey stone. cross-carved standing stone
PREHISTORIC · STANDING STONE

Abbey stone. cross-carved standing stone

Dungannon, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 15693
Period
PREHISTORIC
Site type
STANDING STONE
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 15693
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H5177751218
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)

Overview

History & significance

Abbey Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in Dungannon, County Tyrone. The monument consists of a substantial upright stone bearing carved cross decoration, evidence of later ritual or Christian use inscribed upon an earlier Bronze Age or Neolithic monument. Such reused standing stones are characteristic of the Irish landscape, where pre-Christian monuments often acquired sacred significance in the Christian period.

The stone stands upon bedrock of the Tyrone Group, a Visean-age geological formation comprising limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone interspersed with chert, coal and conglomerate. This varied substrate would have been visible to the monument's original builders and may have influenced their choice of location. The natural stone resources of the area would have shaped both settlement patterns and the availability of suitable stones for such monuments.

The Abbey Stone is protected by the Historic Environment Division as a scheduled monument under reference 15693, recognising its archaeological significance. The cross carvings demonstrate the monument's continued religious importance in medieval times, overlaying its original prehistoric function. As a multiply-used sacred site, it represents an important continuity of ritual practice spanning millennia of settlement in the Dungannon landscape.

Abbey stone. cross-carved standing stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 15693. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Abbey stone. cross-carved standing stone?

Abbey Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in Dungannon, County Tyrone. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 15693.

What period does Abbey stone. cross-carved standing stone date from?

Abbey stone. cross-carved standing stone dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a standing stone. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Abbey stone. cross-carved standing stone?

Abbey stone. cross-carved standing stone is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 15693.

What other scheduled monuments are near Abbey stone. cross-carved standing stone?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Earthwork (1.3 km), Aghintain castle, aughentaine castle. c17th fortified house & bawn (1.9 km), Clochar, clochar-mac-ndaimeni. pre-norman cathedral & graveyard, augustinian friary, post-med. & modern cathedral & graveyard, 3 crosses & 2 bullauns (2 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Abbey stone. cross-carved standing stone

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Abbey stone. cross-carved standing stone's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman World
Ireland was never conquered by Rome, so this traces the island's Iron Age kingdoms and its contact with the Roman world.
Historic Records
The 19th-century records of this place: valuations, Ordnance Survey memoirs and topographical accounts.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Abbey stone. cross-carved standing stone

Abbey stone. cross-carved standing stone stands on Tyrone Group, bedrock that formed in the Visean. The rock here is limestone, mudstone, sandstone and siltstone, with subordinate chert, coal and conglomerate.