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Black Stone is a passage tomb situated near Coleraine in Northern Ireland. Dating to the Neolithic period, this megalithic structure belongs to a class of communal burial monuments that flourished across Ireland and Britain between approximately 3500 and 3000 BC. The monument's local names—including Daff and Duff Stone—reflect centuries of vernacular usage in the surrounding landscape.
The tomb is constructed of stone blocks arranged to create an internal passage leading to a burial chamber, a characteristic design of passage tombs built during the late Neolithic. The bedrock underlying the site consists of Palaeogene extrusive rocks, mafic lava and tuff formed during volcanic activity millions of years before the monument's construction. This geological foundation of dark, dense volcanic rock contrasts with the lighter stones selected for the tomb's megaliths.
Black Stone is protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Division reference 12132. The site represents important archaeological evidence of Neolithic burial practices and ritual activity in the Coleraine region. Such passage tombs often served as focal points for community identity and collective remembrance, with successive generations potentially using the same monument for burial over extended periods.
Black stone, daff, daff burial ground, duff stone, duff stone. passage tomb is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 12132. View the official record →
Black Stone is a passage tomb situated near Coleraine in Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 12132.
Black stone, daff, daff burial ground, duff stone, duff stone. passage tomb dates from the neolithic period, and is classified as a megalithic tomb. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Black stone, daff, daff burial ground, duff stone, duff stone. passage tomb 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 12132.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath (1.7 km), Movanagher castle. plantation castle, bawn & village site (3.2 km), Raised rath (5 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Black stone, daff, daff burial ground, duff stone, duff stone. passage tomb's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Black stone, daff, daff burial ground, duff stone, duff stone. passage tomb stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.