Bedd Morris

Also known as:
Bedd Maurice and Bedd Morus
Nearest town:
Fishguard (8km W)
OS reference:
SN038365
OS sheets:
145, 157
Latitude:
51° 59' 30.3 N
Longitude:
4° 51' 28.76 W
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Bedd Morris

Bronze Age stone back after car crash

baza
baza Dec 12, 2012
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A Bronze Age standing stone that was knocked down by a reversing car last year has been returned to its original position in Pembrokeshire.

The Bedd Morris stone on Dinas Mountain near Newport has been a landmark for around 3,500 years.

Standing at 6ft (1.8m) it is thought the vehicle accidentally knocked over the stone, crushing a fence.

Full story from the BBC

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Bedd Morris

Kammer
Kammer May 28, 2003
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Visited 20th April: Bedd Morris is situated right next to the road between Newport and Pontfaen. It’s antiquity is in doubt because there are no records of it before the 19th Century. There are two inscriptions on the stone indicating that it was used as a Parish boundary marker (between the parishes of Llanychlwyddog and Newport), and opinion is divided as to whether the stone predates this use or not.

There’s a small car park right next to the stone, and a cattle grid. The stone is over 2 metres tall, so you really can’t miss it. It strikes me that this would be a good place to park and walk to Carningli from, as the gradient isn’t too steep approaching from the west.

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Folklore

Bedd Morris
Standing Stone / Menhir
Rhiannon
Rhiannon May 25, 2015
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It is known as “Bedd Morris”, which Morris or Morus was a notorious robber who lived among the rocks on the summit of the hill commanding the pass; and which is the old, and was once the only, road to Newport.

This man had a little dog trained to fetch the arrows shot at unfortunate way-farers. The nuisance of this murderous individual was so great that at last the population rose in arms against him, attacked him in his mountain-cave, dragged him down to the place where the stone now stands, and there killed and buried him.

From Archaeologia Cambrensis v6, 1875, in an article called ‘On Pillar-Stones in Wales’ by E.L. Barnwell.

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Folklore

Bedd Morris
Standing Stone / Menhir
M
mountainman May 26, 2008
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There are several legends relating to this stone. the best-known is that the stone is effectively a memorial to a young man names Morris who was in love with the maid of Pontfaen, whom he could not marry because of her father’s opposition. there was another suitor, and according to the tale the two suitors fought a duel on the highest point of the road between Pontfaen and Newport. Morris was killed in the duel, after which of course the poor girl also died -- of a broken heart.

The other legend is that the robber called Morris (who lived in a cave on the mountain and was always accompanied by a small white dog) was caught and executed here.

According to tradition, the small boys of newport parish are always beaten here (very gently) during the annual “beating of the bounds” ceremony. This is supposed to ensure that they do not forget where the parish boundary is located.

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Folklore

Bedd Morris
Standing Stone / Menhir
Kammer
Kammer Jun 9, 2003
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According to an extract I found in the RCAHMW records, the stone is named after a local robber:

It is known as ‘Bedd Morris’, which Morris, or Morus, was a notorious robber, who lived among the rocks on the summit of the hill commanding this pass; and which is the old, and once the only, road to Newport.

This record was written in 1875, and the bad punctuation is all original. Incidentally, the spelling ‘Morus’ is the Welsh way of spelling ‘Morris’ and both words are pronounced in exactly the same way. Apparently back in the nineteenth century the records were taken by members of the clergy, who dabbled in antiquarianism as a gentleman’s pastime, and their efforts were only sometimes checked by the professionals. I’m afraid I don’t know the author of the above.

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Miscellaneous

Bedd Morris
Standing Stone / Menhir
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Nov 23, 2014
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The accident that saw the stone knocked over and broken in 2011 did at least have the effect of confirming the prehistoric origin of the stone.

From Dyfed HER:

A standing stone 2.2m high x 0.9m x 0.45m wide at its base situated on the roadside verge next to a pasture field. The stone bears an inscription and an Ordnance Survey bench mark on its east face. The inscription indicates the boundary between the parishes of Llanychlwyddog and Newport and the stone is utilised thus as a boundary marker.

In October 2011, the scheduled Bedd Morris standing stone broke and toppled over, probably having been hit by a vehicle. The upper part of the stone was subsequently removed from the site for safe keeping. A small-scale excavation in February 2012 recovered the snapped-off base of the stone, and established that the stone had probably been originally erected in the prehistoric period. Several hammer stones and stone flakes from dressing the stone were discovered in the stone socket. Two Bronze Age radiocarbon determinations from charcoal from the stone socket are strong supporting evidence for the stone having been erected in the prehistoric period and not moved until hit by the vehicle. In November 2012 the stone was repaired and reset into its original socket.

K Murphy October 2013

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