Scheduled MonumentsWalesHirfaen Standing Stone
Prehistoric · Standing Stone

Hirfaen Standing Stone

Carmarthenshire, Wales
Cadw SAM CM028
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Standing Stone
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Hirfaen Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in Wales, protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference CM028. The stone rises from bedrock composed of Llandovery sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded geological formations that date to the Llandovery period. This substantial foundation of mixed sedimentary rock would have provided a stable base for the erection and long-term survival of the monument.

Standing stones of this type were typically erected during the Neolithic or Bronze Age, serving purposes that remain partly obscure but likely included territorial markers, burial monuments or points of ritual significance within the landscape. The Llandovery geology underlying the site, with its alternating layers of sandstone and conglomerate, is characteristic of the South Wales region and would have influenced both the stone's sourcing and its resistance to weathering over millennia.

The monument's preservation as a scheduled ancient monument reflects its importance as evidence of prehistoric settlement and social organisation in Wales. Its survival, embedded in the ancient bedrock of the Welsh landscape, continues to contribute to understanding of how early communities structured and marked their territory.

Hirfaen Standing Stone is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM028. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Hirfaen Standing Stone?

Hirfaen Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in Wales, protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference CM028.

What period does Hirfaen Standing Stone date from?

Hirfaen 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 Hirfaen Standing Stone?

Hirfaen Standing Stone 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 CM028.

What other scheduled monuments are near Hirfaen Standing Stone?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Caer Cadwgan (1.5 km), Caer Pencarreg (4.1 km), Gelli Dewi Uchaf linear round barrow cemetery (4.3 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Hirfaen Standing Stone

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Hirfaen 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 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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Hirfaen Standing Stone

Hirfaen Standing Stone stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.