Carreg Leidr

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument.

The monument comprises the remains of a standing stone, which probably dates to the Bronze Age (c.2300 - 800 BC).

A small stone of red sandstone measuring 1.6 m by 0.55 m by 0.5 m. It is in a grass field on ground sloping to the south close to the side of the road. Packing stones are visible around the base. The name Carreg Leidr means 'thief stone', and the tradition is that '...a man, having robbed the church of Llandyfrydog of its books, was on his way homeward, when he suffered a sudden transition of himself into a stone.' The stone has a projecting knob at the top on the west and this is supposed to represent the sack containing the stolen goods.

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.