Miscellaneous

Maen Huail
Standing Stone / Menhir

A stone of unknown date, in Ruthin town centre. Coflein has the following:

A rough limestone block, 1.2m by 0.6m by 0.6m, (formerly) set behind railings outside Barclays Bank (nprn 26779) on the west side of St Peter’s Square, recorded as being set in the middle of the street in 1699. A tablet reads “Maen Huail. On which tradition states, King Arthur beheaded Huail, brother of Gildas the historian.” (Source OS 495 card; SJ15NW8). Possibly a market or civic stone, or a preaching stone.

coflein.gov.uk/en/site/306840/details/MAEN+HUAIL%2C+ST+PETER%27S+SQUARE%2C+RUTHIN/

Added here as age is impossible to determine and it has a nice folkloric association.

Listed in “The Ancient Stones of Wales” by Chris Barber and John Godfrey Williams (1989 Blorenge Books), which has a picture and adds that it was “removed from its original site to make room for a car park (SJ125584)“.