PE313

Cup-Marked Stone 350m E of Tre-Fael  

07/11/1958  

Designated  

Pembrokeshire  

Nevern  

210274  

240277  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Cup Marked Stone  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises a cup-marked rock, probably dating from the Neolithic and the Bronze Age periods (c. 4,400 BC - 1,000 BC). The stone is comprised of silicified sandstone and measures 2.5m x 1.6m x 0.28m thick, it lies in the ground at an oblique angle; leaning towards the west and has on the upper surface eighteen or more cup-marks. Cup-marks are simple round depressions carved on stone surfaces, probably created by using a pecking technique. The stone is thought to have been the capstone of a Neolithic burial chamber. A programme of geophysical survey and excavation were undertaken during the period 2010-2012. The remains of a Late Neolithic Grooved Ware pot and an intact human cremation burial were found 2m to the north of the stone while overlying a possible Neolithic ground surface immediately to the south-west of the capstone was the remains of a possible Bronze Age stone burial cist. The cist was incorporated into a shale/earth mound, thought to have originally been circular in shape that contained a vertical cut, suggesting that the stone may have been reused later upright as a standing stone. A large amount of white quartz was found to be present around the southern part of the stone, possibly representing the remains of a pavement. Additionally a total of five shale beads, thought to date to the Mesolithic were retrieved. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric ritual practices. The monument retains significant archaeological potential with a strong probability of associated archaeological features and deposits and forms an important element in the wider prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape. Cup-marked stones may be 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.