Maen Huail
 Exmewe Hall, Ruthin. The stone is against the wall facing the roundabout. | |
  Shown within Denbighshire | |
| Location | Centre of Ruthin. (OS Grid ref SJ123582) |
|---|---|
| Region | North Wales |
| Coordinates | 53°06′52″N 3°18′39″W / 53.1144°N 3.3108°W |
| Type | historic stone |
| History | |
| Periods | post-medieval or older |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Good |
| Public access | Yes |
| Reference no. | DE030 |
Maen Huail is a stone block at St Peter's Square, in the centre of Ruthin, Denbighshire, North Wales. A circular plaque next to it states "Maen Huail on which tradition states, King Arthur beheaded Huail, brother of Gildas the historian". The stone was recorded in 1699 as being in the middle of the road,[1] and now stands on a concrete plinth against the half-timbered wall of the Barclays Bank building, a 20th-century copy of the now mainly destroyed Exmewe Hall.[2]
The origin of the legend is The Chronicle of Elis Gruffydd, dating to around 1550,[3] although the stone itself is thought more likely to be a market or civic stone, or a preaching stone.[1] It is a craggy and heavily weathered limestone boulder, measuring 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) long, and some 0.6 metres (2.0 ft) high and wide.[1]
See also
List of Scheduled Monuments in Denbighshire
References
- ^ a b c Maen Huail, St. Peter's Square, Ruthin (ID NPRN306840). at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW)
- ^ Maen Huail stone (ID PRN100868). in the 'SMR' for Clwyd Powys Archaeological Trust (CPAT). Cadw SAM: DE030: Maen Huail Historic Stone
- ^ 'The Quarrel of Arthur and Huail, and the Death of Huail ap Caw', in The Chronicle of Elis Gruffudd. Celtic Literature Collective. Accessed 14 April 2016
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