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The Long Stone is a standing stone located in County Down, Northern Ireland. This late Neolithic monument survives as an upright slab of stone, representing a tradition of stone erection that flourished across the Irish landscape during the fourth and third millennia BCE. Standing stones typically functioned as territorial markers, ceremonial focal points, or ritual monuments, often positioned in visually prominent locations within the local landscape.
The stone stands on bedrock of the Hawick Group, a wacke formation dating to the Wenlock period of the Silurian era. This hard, fractured sandstone would have presented both challenges and opportunities for the monument's creators, requiring the selection and transport of suitable stone rather than extraction from immediately beneath the site. The choice of location reflects the practical and symbolic considerations that guided Neolithic communities in their placement of such monuments.
The Long Stone is protected as a scheduled monument by the Historic Environment Division under reference number 7571, securing its preservation for future generations. Its survival in the Down landscape provides evidence of Neolithic settlement patterns and ritual practice in this region, contributing to understanding of prehistoric activity across northern Ireland during the late Stone Age.
The long stone. standing stone is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 7571. View the official record →
The Long Stone is a standing stone located in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 7571.
The long stone. standing stone dates from the late neo period, and is classified as a standing stone. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
The long 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 7571.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cappel-na-coole. medieval church (in ruins) (4.3 km), St. mary's. church with cross slab, carved virgin & child, font & 2 bullauns (7 km), Motte & bailey (7.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of The long stone. standing stone's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
The long stone. standing stone stands on Hawick Group, bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is wacke.