PREHISTORIC · STANDING STONEPossible

Standing stone

Ballymoney, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 1464
Period
PREHISTORIC
Site type
STANDING STONEPossible
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 1464
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
D0776324838
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Ballymoney Standing Stone is a prehistoric monument located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The stone stands within a landscape underlain by Palaeogene extrusive rocks—the hardened remains of ancient lava flows and volcanic deposits laid down some 60 million years ago. This geologically distinctive bedrock of mafic lavas and tuffs forms part of the volcanic plateau that characterises much of the North Antrim area. The standing stone itself represents a form of monumental expression characteristic of prehistoric communities, typically erected during the Neolithic or Bronze Age periods across Britain and Ireland.

The monument is situated at grid reference D077 6324838 and is protected by the Historic Environment Division of the Department for Communities under monument reference 1464. Standing stones were frequently positioned as focal points within the landscape, serving ritual, territorial or commemorative functions for the communities who raised them. Their precise original purpose remains debated among archaeologists, though many stood in association with burial grounds, ceremonial sites or routes of movement through the landscape.

Today, the Ballymoney Standing Stone survives as a tangible link to the prehistoric inhabitants of North Antrim. Such monuments contribute to our understanding of early settlement patterns and the sacred or significant places valued by Neolithic and Bronze Age peoples across Ireland.

Standing stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 1464. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Standing stone?

Ballymoney Standing Stone is a prehistoric monument located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 1464.

What period does Standing stone date from?

Standing stone dates from the prehistoric period, and is classified as a standing stonepossible. 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 1464.

What other scheduled monuments are near Standing stone?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Standing stone (1.2 km), Standing stone (1.4 km), Standing stone (1.4 km).

Unlimited access

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.
First month just £4.99, then £9.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Standing stone report
Or see a real report first
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Standing stone

Standing stone stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.