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Maen Serth, Esgair Dderw is a medieval standing stone located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference RD043. The monument stands upon bedrock of Llandovery age, a formation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone deposited during the Early Silurian period. This geology has shaped the landscape in which the stone was raised, contributing to the soils and terrain characteristic of this Welsh upland locality.
Standing stones of this type were commonly erected during the medieval period, though their precise dating and original purpose remain subjects of study. Maen Serth represents an important element of the region's visible heritage, marking the medieval occupation and use of the landscape. The durability of the local Llandovery bedrock would have been familiar to those who worked this land, and the stone itself may have served functions ranging from boundary marker to waystone or ritual monument.
The monument's protection by Cadw recognises its significance within the archaeological record of medieval Wales. Its survival in the contemporary landscape, standing upon these ancient mudstones and siltstones, provides tangible evidence of continuity of place and meaning across centuries of Welsh history.
Maen Serth, Esgair Dderw is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference RD043. View the official record →
Maen Serth, Esgair Dderw is a medieval standing stone located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference RD043.
Maen Serth, Esgair Dderw dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a standing stone. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Maen Serth, Esgair Dderw 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 RD043.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cairns and Standing Stones on Carnau Cefn-y-Ffordd (9.5 km), Saith-Maen Standing Stones (9.6 km), Hafotau Settlement on Bryn Melys (9.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Maen Serth, Esgair Dderw'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.
Maen Serth, Esgair Dderw stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.