Carreg Samson
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  Shown within Pembrokeshire | |
| Location | Pembrokeshire grid reference SM84853351 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 51°57′30″N 5°07′58″W / 51.958386°N 5.132704°W / 51.958386; -5.132704 |
| Type | Dolmen |
| History | |
| Periods | Neolithic |
Carreg Samson (also known as Carreg Sampson, Samson's Stone, or the Longhouse) is a 5000-year-old Neolithic dolmen located half a mile west of Abercastle near the Pembrokeshire Coast Path in Wales.
Name
It is called "Samson" because of a local legend that Saint Samson of Dol placed the capstone in position with his little finger.[1]
Description
Carreg Samson has a capstone, 4.7 metres by 2.7 metres and 1.0 metre thick.[2] The capstone rests on three of six stones 1.1 to 2.2 metres high.[2]
The whole burial chamber was once covered by a mound of earth or stones and once these were removed stones were used to block the holes in the sides of the tomb so that it could be used as a shelter for sheep.[3]
The site was excavated in 1968 which revealed four additional stone-holes, one having supported a further chamber stone, the others indicating a possible passage leading off to the northwest.[2] Slight traces of a covering cairn were found to the south and it was shown that the monument had been raised over a pit 0.8 metres deep, filled with clay and stones. Finds included a small quantity of burnt bone, pottery, and flints.[2]
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View from the north-west
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Close up
References
- ^ Chris Barber, John Godfrey Williams (1989), The ancient stones of Wales, page 122. Blorenge
- ^ a b c d "Carreg Sampson Burial Chamber (94129)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ^ "Carreg Samson". www.megalithic.co.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
External links
Media related to Carreg Sampson at Wikimedia Commons