Scheduled MonumentsWalesBuwch a'r Llo Standing Stones
Prehistoric · Standing Stone

Buwch a'r Llo Standing Stones

Ceredigion, Wales
Cadw SAM CD231
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Standing Stone
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM CD231
Authority
Cadw
Designated
2007-09-10
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Buwch a'r Llo Standing Stones is a prehistoric standing stone monument located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CD231. The site lies upon bedrock composed of Llandovery rocks, an undifferentiated sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formations dating to the Llandovery period. These sedimentary stones, laid down in ancient marine environments, form the geological foundation across much of the region and would have been familiar to the prehistoric communities who erected the monument.

Standing stones of this type were typically raised during the later prehistory of Britain and Wales, serving purposes that remain incompletely understood but likely included territorial marking, ceremonial functions, or commemorative roles within Bronze Age and Iron Age societies. The monument's name, meaning "The Cow and the Calf" in Welsh, suggests a local tradition of perceiving the stones as a pair, a characteristic found in numerous stone monuments across Wales where folklore and landscape perception have shaped enduring cultural meanings.

The protection of Buwch a'r Llo under Cadw reflects its significance as a record of prehistoric activity and cultural practice. Standing stones remain tangible connections to the societies that created them, their presence in the landscape a testament to the enduring effort and organisation invested in their construction and maintenance across many centuries.

Buwch a'r Llo Standing Stones is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD231. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Buwch a'r Llo Standing Stones?

Buwch a'r Llo Standing Stones is a prehistoric standing stone monument located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference CD231.

What period does Buwch a'r Llo Standing Stones date from?

Buwch a'r Llo Standing Stones 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 Buwch a'r Llo Standing Stones?

Buwch a'r Llo Standing Stones is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is CD231.

What other scheduled monuments are near Buwch a'r Llo Standing Stones?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cairn Circle 200m NNW of Dolgamfa (4.8 km), Bwlch-y-Crwys Round Barrow (5.8 km), Banc Erw Barfe Deserted Rural Settlement (6.2 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Buwch a'r Llo Standing Stones

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Buwch a'r Llo Standing Stones'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 Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
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 Buwch a'r Llo Standing Stones

Buwch a'r Llo Standing Stones stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.