PREHISTORIC · STANDING STONE

Standing stone

Banbridge, Northern Ireland
NISMR MonID 8413
Period
PREHISTORIC
Site type
STANDING STONE
Nation
Northern Ireland
The designation
Reference
NISMR MonID 8413
Authority
DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR)
Grid reference
J2887537910
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

The Standing Stone at Banbridge is a prehistoric standing stone located in County Down, Northern Ireland, protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Division reference 8413. The monument rises from bedrock of the Unnamed Igneous Intrusion, a felsic igneous formation that crystallised during the Early Devonian period, over 400 million years ago. This ancient geological foundation underlies much of the local landscape and would have been exposed or close to the surface when the stone was erected in prehistory.

Standing stones of this type were typically raised during the Bronze Age or earlier periods, though their exact chronology and purpose remain subjects of archaeological study. They may have served ritual, territorial or commemorative functions within the prehistoric communities of Ulster. The stone's survival to the present day, at grid reference J2887537910, testifies to its original substantial size and the durability of standing stones as monuments.

The Banbridge stone remains an important element of the archaeological heritage of the Banbridge district. Its preservation reflects the cultural significance such stones held for successive generations of inhabitants, making it a valuable record of prehistoric activity in County Down.

Standing stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 8413. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Standing stone?

The Standing Stone at Banbridge is a prehistoric standing stone located in County Down, Northern Ireland, protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Division reference 8413.

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 8413.

What other scheduled monuments are near Standing stone?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Big fort. rath & souterrain (0.8 km), Cashel & souterrain (2.1 km), The gray stone. standing stone (3.8 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 Igneous Intrusion, Late Silurian To Early Devonian, bedrock that formed in the Early Devonian. The rock here is felsic-rock.