About

Harold's Stones date back 3,500 years to the Bronze Age. The conglomerate rock called pudding stone was dragged on logs from nearby and levered into the ground. Possibly they were put there as marker stones or to give seasonal information or for use at religious ceremonies.

Harold's Stones lie near the village of Trellech or Treleck (depending on the sign) which is said to take it's name from the stones, Tri (Welsh for three) and Llech (meaning a flat stone). Why they are called Harold's stones is something of a mystery, local legend says they were erected to commemorate a victory of the Saxon king Harold over the Britons. This seems to be improbable as they predate Harold by at least 2,000 years. Another legend states that they mark the spot where three British chieftains fell in battle with Harold. Yet another legend states that Jack O Kent threw the stone there from a dozen miles away in a competition with the devil and thereafter the village became known as the City of the Stones.