Scheduled MonumentsNorthern IrelandOmaghFour standing stones
PREHISTORIC · STANDING STONE

Four standing stones

Omagh, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 15256
Period
PREHISTORIC
Site type
STANDING STONE
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 15256
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
H6090367026
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Four Standing Stones is a prehistoric standing stone monument located near Omagh in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. The site comprises four upright stones, likely erected during the Bronze Age or earlier, when such monuments commonly marked territorial boundaries, ritual centres or burial sites across the Irish landscape. Standing stones of this type frequently occur singly or in small groups throughout Ulster and represent some of the earliest permanent structures built by prehistoric communities.

The stones rest upon bedrock belonging to the Fintona Group, a geological formation of Late Devonian age comprising alternating layers of sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and conglomerate. This varied geology would have provided accessible stone suitable for monument building, though the erecting stones themselves may have been selected and transported for their size and shape rather than sourced locally. The landscape around Omagh, with its moderate elevation and access to water, offered favourable conditions for prehistoric settlement and ritual activity.

The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division of Northern Ireland under reference 15256, reflecting its significance as an archaeological resource. Without excavation records or artefactual evidence currently associated with the site, the precise date and purpose of the Four Standing Stones remain undetermined, though they contribute to understanding prehistoric land-use patterns and ceremonial practices in this region of Ulster.

Four standing stones is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 15256. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Four standing stones?

Four Standing Stones is a prehistoric standing stone monument located near Omagh in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 15256.

What period does Four standing stones date from?

Four 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 Four standing stones?

Four standing stones 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 15256.

What other scheduled monuments are near Four standing stones?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Wedge tomb (7 km), Passage tomb (7.4 km), Mound (8.2 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Four standing stones

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Four 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 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 Four standing stones

Four standing stones stands on Fintona Group, bedrock that formed in the Late Devonian. The rock here is sandstone, mudstone, siltstone and conglomerate.