PREHISTORIC · STANDING STONE

Standing stone

Derry, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 11848
Period
PREHISTORIC
Site type
STANDING STONE
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 11848
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
C4889514615
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)

Overview

History & significance

Standing Stone, Derry is a prehistoric standing stone located in County Derry, Northern Ireland. The monument is recorded by the Historic Environment Division under reference 11848. Standing stones of this type are typically monolithic pillars of stone raised upright in the landscape, belonging to a tradition of monument construction that extends back thousands of years into prehistory. Their precise original purpose remains debated among archaeologists, though they frequently appear singly or in groups across the Atlantic seaboard of Britain and Ireland.

The stone itself rises from bedrock formed of psammite and pelite belonging to the Southern Highland Group, which was laid down during the Middle Cambrian period over 500 million years ago. This ancient metamorphic bedrock underlies much of the region surrounding Derry, providing the geological foundation upon which later communities chose to erect their monuments. The choice of location may reflect the quarrying of suitable stone from the local geology or the significance of outcrops visible across the landscape.

As a protected monument, Standing Stone, Derry remains an important record of prehistoric settlement and belief in the area. The survival of such stones depends greatly upon local custom and legal protection; this example has been designated precisely to ensure its preservation for future study and public appreciation.

Standing stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 11848. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Standing stone?

Standing Stone, Derry is a prehistoric standing stone located in County Derry, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 11848.

What period does Standing stone date from?

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 Standing stone?

Standing stone is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 11848.

What other scheduled monuments are near Standing stone?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rath (motte & bailey?) (1.8 km), High cross. cross (2.4 km), Cross-carved stone (5.3 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Standing stone

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of 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 World
Ireland was never conquered by Rome, so this traces the island's Iron Age kingdoms and its contact with the Roman world.
Historic Records
The 19th-century records of this place: valuations, Ordnance Survey memoirs and topographical accounts.
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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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Standing stone

Standing stone stands on Southern Highland Group, bedrock that formed in the Middle Cambrian. The rock here is psammite and pelite.