GM134

Burry Menhir  

 

Designated  

Swansea  

Port Eynon  

246400  

190077  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Standing Stone  

Prehistoric  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument. The monument comprises the remains of a recumbent stone, which probably dates to the Bronze Age (c. 2900 - 800 BC). The stone is a quartz conglomerate measuring 3m long, lying in a slight hollow. Its section is irregular but tends towards a wedge shape, 1.8 wide and with a maximum thickness of 0.8m. The stone fell from an upright position in 1947. In 1948 its site was excavated by H.N. Savory and J.G. Rutter. Cobble stones used as packing round the base were found. There was no sign of a burial. The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. It is an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retains significant archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of intact burial or 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.