RD043

Maen Serth, Esgair Dderw  

 

Designated  

Powys  

Rhayader  

294306  

269886  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Standing Stone  

Medieval  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of a standing stone, which may date originally to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 - 800 BC) but which bears an inscribed cross of early-medieval type. The stone is also known as Carn Bica. At some stage during the 20th century it was reset in concrete. It now stands 2.1m high and is 0.53m wide and 0.18m thick, though part of the top is broken away. It is aligned north to south, with an incised cross on its east face, the centre of which is 1.54m above the base. The upper and right-hand parts of the cross are missing, while the lower is 0.12m long and the left-hand 0.15m long. The cross was traditionally associated with the murder of Einion Clud, a local Welsh Chieftain, in 1177, although it has been dated rather earlier on stylistic grounds, to the 7th to 9th centuries AD. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices, and of the organisation and practice of medieval Christianity. It is an important feature in the landscape and retains significant archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of intact ritual deposits, together with environmental and structural evidence. Standing stones are often part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can further enhanced by their group value. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.