Type Dolmen Period Neolithic | Periods Neolithic | |
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Location Pembrokeshire
grid reference SM84853351 Address Haverfordwest SA62 5AN, UK Similar Carreg Coetan Arthur, Pentre Ifan, St Lythans burial chamber, Parc Cwm long cairn, Gaulstown Portal Tomb | ||
Y llongau carreg samson
Carreg Samson (also known as Carreg Sampson, Samson's Stone, or the Longhouse) is a 5000-year-old Neolithic dolmen located half a mile west of the Abercastle near the Pembrokeshire Coast Path in Wales.
Contents
Name
It is called "Samson" because of a local legend that Saint Samson of Dol placed the capstone in position with his little finger.
Description
Carreg Samson has a capstone, 4.7 metres by 2.7 metres and 1.0 metre thick. The capstone rests on three of six stones 1.1 to 2.2 metres high.
The whole burial chamber was once covered by a mound of earth or stones and once these were removed stones were used to block the holes in the sides of the tomb so that it could be used as a shelter for sheep.
The site was excavated in 1968 which revealed four additional stone-holes, one having supported a further chamber stone, the others indicating a possible passage leading off to the northwest. Slight traces of a covering cairn were found to the south and it was shown that the monument had been raised over a pit 0.8 metres deep, filled with clay and stones. Finds included a small quantity of burnt bone, pottery, and flints.