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The Bryn Gwyn Stones ( cy, Cerrig Bryn Gwyn) or Bryn Gwyn Standing Stones are neolithic stones in Brynsiencyn on
The Bryn Gwyn stones stand about to the south-west of
GAT preliminary excavation report and site plan, 2011. The pit of a further stone, inside the circle, shows it was a 'blade-style' stone, with an alignment with the summer solstice sunrise and winter solstice sunset. A public footpath runs past the stones from Bryngwyn-mawr on the
Anglesey
Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...
.
Description and History
The Bryn Gwyn stones stand about to the south-west of Castell Bryn Gwyn
Castell Bryn Gwyn is a prehistoric site on the Isle of Anglesey, west of Brynsiencyn. It is a circular clay and gravel bank covered with grass, still some 1.5 metres (5') high and revetted externally by stone walls, which surround a level ar ...
, on the low ridge some above the valley of the Afon Braint
Afon Braint ( en, River Braint) is a small tidal river on Anglesey, North Wales. There is a series of stepping stones near the village of Dwyran, and a Grade II bridge near Penmynydd. Until recently, there was an electoral ward named after the ...
on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
.
They are the tallest standing stone
A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be fou ...
s in Wales, nearly . In 1723 Henry Rowlands described them as part of a ruinous circle of eight stones, some across. An account of 1797 says that "ignorant country people supposing money was hid under them tore them up" and today only two stones, one slab and one pillar, stand in a modern field bank. Nothing else is visible on the ground, but a 2008 excavation found three pits of standing stones, two containing stone stumps,Cyfeillion Ymddiriedolaeth Archaeolegol Gwynedd, Haf 2009. Friends of the Gwynedd Archaeological Trust, Summer 2009. Prehistoric Funerary and Ritual Survey, pp 32-33. consistent with the record by Rowlands. Further excavations in 2010 identified the pits of three more removed standing stones, making seven identified in all of the eight expected to make up the original circle.A re-discovered stone circle, Bryn Gwyn, AngleseyGAT preliminary excavation report and site plan, 2011. The pit of a further stone, inside the circle, shows it was a 'blade-style' stone, with an alignment with the summer solstice sunrise and winter solstice sunset. A public footpath runs past the stones from Bryngwyn-mawr on the
A4080 road
The A4080 is a British A road which is located on the Island of Anglesey, Wales. It follows a very roundabout route from the A5 road at Llanfairpwllgwyngyll via Newborough and Rhosneigr back to the A55 and the A5 about south of Holyhead. In a ...
, continuing north-east on a low ridge past Castell Bryn Gwyn
Castell Bryn Gwyn is a prehistoric site on the Isle of Anglesey, west of Brynsiencyn. It is a circular clay and gravel bank covered with grass, still some 1.5 metres (5') high and revetted externally by stone walls, which surround a level ar ...
and some 800 metres further to Caer Lêb
Caer Lêb is a Roman and mediaeval site on the Welsh island of Anglesey, west of Brynsiencyn. Its name means " Leaven Castle". It is a low-lying site near the Afon Braint with a double row of pentangular banks (some parts now levelled) and marsh ...
. From the Bryn Gwyn Stones the midsummer sun rises over the centre of Castell Bryn Gwyn.
In the 18th century a cottage was built with the wide stone as its end wall. Notches round its top show where roof timbers had been fitted. With the removal of the cottage (which had occupied an area inside the stone circle) the stones were used as a gateway through the field hedge., Coflein site database of RCAHMW
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW; cy, Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru; ), established in 1908, is a Welsh Government sponsored body concerned with some aspects of the archaeological, architectura ...
Further to the north-east at Tre'r Dryw Bach, another large stone circle was reported by 18th century visitors but has since been cleared away.
See also
* List of Scheduled Monuments in Anglesey * List of stone circles *Castell Bryn Gwyn
Castell Bryn Gwyn is a prehistoric site on the Isle of Anglesey, west of Brynsiencyn. It is a circular clay and gravel bank covered with grass, still some 1.5 metres (5') high and revetted externally by stone walls, which surround a level ar ...
* Archaeology of Wales
References
External links
{{European Standing Stones Prehistoric sites in Anglesey Bronze Age sites in Wales Cadw Stone Age sites in Wales Megalithic monuments in Wales Stone circles in Wales Llanidan Scheduled monuments in Anglesey Welsh artefacts