All  

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ

Ancient Origins Tour IRAQ Mobile

Bluestone like those used to build Stonehenge were reportedly stolen from Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire

Stonehenge Bluestone Stolen for Garden Ornamentation

Print

An ancient bluestone of the type used to build England’s world-famous stone circle Stonehenge was stolen from Preseli Hills in Wales, bundled into a car, and taken 10 miles away to be used as garden ornamentation.

At Mynachlog-ddu in west Wales, at around 3pm on Sunday December 29th, officers from Dyfed-Powys Police received a report that one of the famous bluestones selected to form part of England’s most famous Neolithic monument, Stonehenge, had been stolen.

The criminals, however, were filmed digging up the stone and loading it into the trunk of a car. Soon after the police discovered it being used as a garden feature only 10 miles away.

Mynachlog-ddu location within Pembrokeshire, where the bluestone was stolen

Mynachlog-ddu location within Pembrokeshire, where the bluestone was stolen. (Nilfanion / CC BY-SA 3.0)

An Unusual Crime

In what was not a dazzling show of policing, after reviewing CCTV footage with a cuppa, two men could be seen digging the stone up and putting it in the trunk of their car, and additional video from the eyewitness revealed the car's registration. This allowed officers to identify the suspects' home address in Narberth where the large rock was seen in the front garden, seized, and returned to a chapel for safe keeping.

Unfortunately, according to a report on Wales Online, Inspector Reuben Palin, of the Dyfed-Powys Police, said bluestones are “regularly taken from the Preseli” but in this case it was “quite unusual” having a witness to the theft, who the police thanked for filming while the stone was dug up and stolen.

Stealing Spiritual Healing

The man responsible for having stolen the stone admitted the theft and in his own defense he told police he was unaware that it was illegal to remove it, so he was advised on UK law. Furthermore, Dyfed-Powys Police have reminded the public that it is illegal to remove bluestones from their natural area and said while it might not seem like taking bluestone is causing harm “it is in fact illegal”, said Inspector Palin.

You would think that one of our spiritually advanced [humans], those who maintain they have a connection with greater energy systems than scientists can measure, would be more ‘tuned in’ to these ancient stones that make up the Mynydd Preseli site in Pembrokeshire, but the police inspector said that in the past we have had people take bluestone for the “spiritual and healing property it is believed to possess”.

Mynydd Preseli site where bluestone are believed to process spiritual and healing properties

Mynydd Preseli site where bluestone are believed to process spiritual and healing properties. (Derek Voller / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Stonehenge Has The Blues

The towering stones we see today at England’s Stonehenge were at one time surrounded by a circle of 56 wooden posts which many archeologists think were used to record the positions of the sun and the moon for the prediction of eclipses, seasonal changes, and to assist in agriculture. The ‘bluestone’ horseshoe at the center of Stonehenge is thought to have contained 19 individual stones representing the approximate number of solar years it takes for the sun and moon to complete a ‘Metonic cycle’ and then almost recalibrate.

Depiction of the 19 years of the Metonic cycle. Bluestones were used to depict the 19 solar years

Depiction of the 19 years of the Metonic cycle. Bluestones were used to depict the 19 solar years. (Dbachmann / Public Domain)

The Dyfed-Powys Police have not released the specific location the thief was operating in, and there remains a chance he loaded his car with a stone from an area ‘not’ associated with Stonehenge, as for almost a century, according to The Guardian, archaeologists in the Welsh hillside have been chipping away at the “wrong rocky outcrop” on the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire.

About Turn, Everyone Is Wrong

Where the stones came from that were used to build Stonehenge greatly adds to the scientific understanding of its builders’ skills and the famous geologist Herbert Henry Thomas first linked the Stonehenge bluestones with Preseli in 1923. Dr. Thomas pinpointed the tor on Carn Menyn as the likely source of the famous bluestones, located over 190 miles from the ancient Wiltshire monument at the heart of southwest England.

Since the 1920s, archaeologists have examined ‘Carn Menyn’ but modern researchers now think the bluestones actually came from ‘Carn Goedog’ which is almost a mile away. Richard Bevins, keeper of geology at the National Museum of Wales, who made this observation told The Guardian that he “didn’t expect to get Christmas cards from the archaeologists who have been excavating at the wrong place” and therefore drawing up wrong conclusions over all these years.

Carn Menyn bluestones. These dolerite slabs, split by frost action, seem to be stacked ready for the taking, and many have been removed over the centuries for local use

Carn Menyn bluestones. These dolerite slabs, split by frost action, seem to be stacked ready for the taking, and many have been removed over the centuries for local use. (ceridwen / CC BY-SA 2.0)

Better Luck Next Time

According to Dr. Rob Ixer, of University College London, in a paper published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, the bluestones are believed to have arrived at Stonehenge about 4,500 years ago and the scientist said “everything we believed 10 years ago about the bluestones has been shown to be partially or completely incorrect”. And more so than the much larger sarsen stones that give Stonehenge its familiar shape, some experts believe the bluestones “were the real draw” because they were believed to have healing powers.

Maybe the man who stole the bluestone was looking for some healing powers for his garden, but it would be advised that before stealing spirituality, maybe start with stealing a good luck charm.

Top image: Bluestone like those used to build Stonehenge were reportedly stolen from Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire. Source: charles / Adobe Stock.

By Ashley Cowie

 

Comments

Mary Madeline's picture

I have MS and words get skipped alot when I read, I thought they stoled a stone from Stonehenge

Mary Madeline

Mary Madeline's picture

I don't get that from the headings from this site. Did you read the article on here about the number 666? Very interesting

Mary Madeline

Gary Moran's picture

Sorry, misspelled, I meant click bait. using a sensational header to get more people attracted to click on/open the article.

Mary Madeline's picture

What does click bit mean?

Mary Madeline

Gary Moran's picture

Ditto – don’t need clickbit here

Pages

ashley cowie's picture

Ashley

Ashley is a Scottish historian, author, and documentary filmmaker presenting original perspectives on historical problems in accessible and exciting ways.

He was raised in Wick, a small fishing village in the county of Caithness on the north east coast of... Read More

Next article