Scheduled MonumentsWalesTirgwyn Standing Stones
Prehistoric · Standing Stone

Tirgwyn Standing Stones

Conwy, Wales
Cadw SAM CN097
Period
Prehistoric
Site type
Standing Stone
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Tirgwyn Standing Stones is a prehistoric standing stone monument protected by Cadw under reference CN097. The stones stand on bedrock composed of Ordovician extrusive rocks, specifically felsic lava and felsic tuff formed during the Ordovician period over 440 million years ago. This ancient volcanic geology provides a distinctive local context for the monument, with the hard igneous rock outcropping across the Welsh landscape where the stones were ultimately raised.

Standing stones such as Tirgwyn were typically erected during the Neolithic or Bronze Age, serving purposes that remain subject to archaeological interpretation. They may have marked territorial boundaries, acted as waymarkers across the landscape, or held ritual and ceremonial significance within prehistoric communities. Their isolated placement across upland terrain suggests they were deliberately positioned to be visible landmarks within the contemporary settlement pattern.

The Ordovician bedrock surrounding Tirgwyn would have been familiar to the prehistoric communities who quarried and positioned these stones, making use of naturally exposed rock sources. Cadw's protection of the monument ensures the preservation of this important element of Wales's prehistoric heritage, maintaining its presence as a tangible connection to the region's ancient past.

Tirgwyn Standing Stones is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN097. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Tirgwyn Standing Stones?

Tirgwyn Standing Stones is a prehistoric standing stone monument protected by Cadw under reference CN097.

What period does Tirgwyn Standing Stones date from?

Tirgwyn Standing Stones 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 Tirgwyn Standing Stones?

Tirgwyn Standing Stones is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is CN097.

What other scheduled monuments are near Tirgwyn Standing Stones?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Ty-Newydd Mound & Bailey Castle (0.8 km), Garn Boduan (3.2 km), Enclosed Hut Group at Clogwyn Bach (4.5 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Tirgwyn Standing Stones

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Tirgwyn Standing Stones'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 Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
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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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Tirgwyn Standing Stones

Tirgwyn Standing Stones stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Ordovician, bedrock that formed in the Ordovician. The rock here is felsic lava and felsic tuff.

The wider landscape

Around Tirgwyn Standing Stones

Bryn Celli DduArchaeological site · ~21.7 miles