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Harold's Stones is a prehistoric stone alignment located in Wales, comprising standing stones arranged in a linear pattern typical of Bronze Age ceremonial monuments. The site is protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage organisation, and is registered under reference MM017. Stone alignments of this type were commonly erected during the Bronze Age across Britain and Ireland, often serving ritual, territorial or astronomical functions, though their precise original purpose remains debated among archaeologists.
The monument sits upon Lower Devonian bedrock composed of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate, geological formations laid down during the Early Devonian period approximately 410 million years ago. This underlying geology, characteristic of much of Wales's landscape, would have directly influenced the choice of stone available to the monument's Bronze Age builders. The local rock sources would have provided the materials used in the alignment's construction.
The survival of Harold's Stones demonstrates the enduring presence of Bronze Age ceremonial landscapes within the Welsh countryside. As a scheduled and protected monument, the site contributes to our understanding of prehistoric ritual behaviour and settlement patterns across Wales during the second millennium BC, though the specific context and chronology of this particular alignment await further investigation.
Harold's Stones, Standing Stones is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MM017. View the official record →
Harold's Stones is a prehistoric stone alignment located in Wales, comprising standing stones arranged in a linear pattern typical of Bronze Age ceremonial monuments. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MM017.
Harold's Stones, Standing Stones dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a stone alignment. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Harold's Stones, 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 MM017.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Chepstow Park Wood Cairn (7.6 km), The Cold Bath: Piercefield (8.7 km), St Arvan's Church Cross-slab (8.8 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Harold's Stones, Standing Stones'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.
Harold's Stones, Standing Stones stands on Lower Devonian Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.