PREHISTORIC · STANDING STONE

Standing stone

Newry And Mourne, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 8239
Period
PREHISTORIC
Site type
STANDING STONE
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 8239
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
J1722933017
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Newry And Mourne Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in County Down, Northern Ireland. The monument stands within an area of ancient settlement and ritual activity, situated on bedrock composed of felsic igneous rock formed during the Early Devonian period. This geological foundation reflects the varied and often challenging terrain of the drumlin country bordering the Newry district.

The stone itself represents a significant survival from the Bronze Age or earlier periods, when standing stones served ritual, ceremonial or commemorative functions within prehistoric communities. Such monuments typically marked important places within the landscape, whether as territorial markers, burial sites or gathering points for seasonal gatherings. The Newry And Mourne example contributes to the wider distribution of upright stones across Ulster.

The monument is protected under the Historic Environment Division of Northern Ireland's Department for Communities (reference 8239), ensuring its preservation as part of the region's archaeological heritage. The stone remains an important reference point for understanding prehistoric settlement patterns and belief systems in this part of County Down, and visitors can experience the local landscape much as ancient communities would have known it.

Standing stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 8239. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Standing stone?

Newry And Mourne Standing Stone is a prehistoric standing stone located in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 8239.

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 8239.

What other scheduled monuments are near Standing stone?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Lisbane. rath & souterrain (6.1 km), Murphy's fort. ring barrow (6.1 km), The long stone, long stone. standing stone (6.5 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.
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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 Igneous Intrusion, Late Silurian To Early Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is felsic-rock.