Maen Hir, Tregwhelydd

In the parish of Llantrisant, three-quarters of a mile S.W. by S. of the church, and about half a mile north-west of the farm-house of Tregwhelydd, and not far from that of Maen y Goron, is to be found a maen hir, formerly known as MAEN Y GORED; this stone is leaning in a north-westerly direction at an angle of about 45 degrees. Its present measurements are 8 ft. 6 ins. long on its upper surface, 3 ft. 6 ins. in width and from 1 to 2 ft. in thickness. It is composed of mica schist and dolerite which may be local, though there is little dolerite except in ice carried boulders. (E.G.)

No indication of its existence appears on the present Ordnance Surveys but on that of 1841 it is described as "Maen-y-gored", or the stone of the fish-weir. It is difficult to imagine at the present day where a weir could have existed in its immediate vicinity, possibly a fish-trap, or something of that sort, was to be found in the river Alaw, which is close by.

A second stone lies nearly buried in the ground behind the leaning stone the dimensions of which correspond nearly to those of the first. Excavation might reveal that when in their original upright position they were a pair that stood 11 ft. apart. A block of sandstone, scored by the plough, lies partly under the leaning stone. No orientation can be attempted here. These remains have been placed by Lord Sheffield under the care of the Commissioners for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments.