PREHISTORIC · STANDING STONE

Standing stone

Ballymoney, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 1816
Period
PREHISTORIC
Site type
STANDING STONE
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 1816
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
C9923510607
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

The Ballymoney Standing Stone is a prehistoric monument located in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. The stone rises from bedrock composed of Palaeogene extrusive rocks—mafic lavas and tuffs formed during extensive volcanic activity in the early Tertiary period. These dark, dense volcanic materials underlie much of the landscape here, a legacy of the intense geological activity that shaped this region millions of years before the stone was erected.

Standing stones of this type were typically raised during the Neolithic or Bronze Age, serving purposes that may have included territorial markers, ceremonial foci or burial monuments. The Ballymoney stone survives as evidence of prehistoric settlement and ritual activity in this part of Ulster. Its exact dimensions and condition are characteristic of monuments that have weathered thousands of years of exposure on the Irish landscape.

The stone is now protected as a scheduled monument under reference 1816 by the Historic Environment Division of Northern Ireland. This designation recognises its archaeological and historical significance as a tangible connection to the region's deep past. The monument remains an important landmark within the prehistoric archaeological record of the north of Ireland.

Standing stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 1816. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Standing stone?

The 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 1816.

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 1816.

What other scheduled monuments are near Standing stone?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Mound (0.7 km), Lisnacannon. multivallate rath (1.4 km), Lough tarmin, loughtamand, lough tammin, loughtammin, loughtamin, loughtarmin, lough toman, lough tamin, lough tamand. crannog in former lough tamin (2.9 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 Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.