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Maen y Rhos Standing Stone is a prehistoric upright stone monument in Wales, protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference ME228. The stone rises from bedrock of Ashgill age, comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone laid down in the later Ordovician period. These fine-grained sedimentary rocks, which underlie the surrounding landscape, would have presented significant challenges to the prehistoric communities who quarried and erected this monument, requiring both considerable labour and sophisticated techniques to extract and position the stone.
Standing stones of this type proliferated across Wales and western Britain during the Bronze Age, though some may be considerably older. Their purpose remains debated amongst archaeologists; they may have served as territorial markers, ceremonial focal points, or monuments to the dead. The stone's prominent position would have made it a significant landmark in the local landscape, visible across considerable distances and potentially serving to orient movement through the terrain.
The survival of Maen y Rhos into the modern era, despite centuries of agricultural use and landscape change, testifies to its enduring significance. Its protection by Cadw reflects the monument's archaeological and cultural importance as a physical record of prehistoric Wales, offering insight into the beliefs, capabilities and social organisation of communities whose written history remains unrecorded.
Maen y Rhos Standing Stone is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference ME228. View the official record →
Maen y Rhos Standing Stone is a prehistoric upright stone monument in Wales, protected by Cadw as a scheduled monument under reference ME228.
Maen y Rhos 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.
Maen y Rhos 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 ME228.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cefn Ddwysarn Camp (1.9 km), Cefn Caer Euni Round Cairn (2.3 km), Mynydd Mynyllod Enclosure (3.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Maen y Rhos Standing Stone'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 y Rhos Standing Stone stands on Ashgill Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Ashgill. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.