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Pen-y-Maen Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference AN072. The monument stands upon bedrock of Upper Cambrian age, specifically rocks formed during the Tremadocian period and including the Tremadoc Formation. These metasedimentary rocks, which underlie the site, were laid down in ancient seas over 480 million years ago and have been folded and altered by subsequent geological processes.
The standing stone itself represents a category of monument erected during the Bronze Age, likely between 2000 and 500 BC, though precise dating is difficult without excavation. Such isolated stones typically marked burial sites, territorial boundaries or had ritual significance within prehistoric communities. The choice of location on this particular bedrock would have offered a stable foundation and may reflect the stone's visibility within the surrounding landscape.
Today, Pen-y-Maen remains a tangible link to Wales's prehistoric past. Its protection by Cadw ensures this ancient monument is preserved for future generations, contributing to our understanding of Bronze Age settlement patterns and the sacred or practical significance of upright stones in the Welsh landscape.
Pen-y-Maen Standing Stone is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference AN072. View the official record →
Pen-y-Maen Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference AN072.
Pen-y-Maen 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.
Pen-y-Maen 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 AN072.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Enclosed Hut Group SW of Bronydd (9 km), Enclosed Hut Group North East of Cae'r Mynydd (9.1 km), Glascoed Round Cairn (9.2 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Pen-y-Maen 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.
Pen-y-Maen Standing Stone stands on Upper Cambrian, Including Tremadoc, bedrock that formed in the Tremadocian. The rock here is metasedimentary rock.