Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Potstone, also known as Poststone or Postis, is a neolithic menhir located in Ussy, Calvados, Normandy. Originally, it was 1.5 km from the village, at the place called Le Pôt, on the way to Saint-Germain-Langot. This limestone megalith, of losangic shape (2.20 m high and 1.40 m wide), has a marked vertical crack. He was moved in the 19th century by a farmer who was hampered by his presence and then abandoned by a road before being recovered by the municipality to be set up in the local arboretum.

In 1824, young people from the village overturned the menhir, believing in a hidden treasure beneath. Later, the landowner broke it to free the ground. Despite these deteriorations, the monument was classified as a Historical Monument on October 26, 1945, protecting both its original (even empty) location and its new location. Two other nearby menhirs, the Hauberie Stone and the Grurie in Villers-Canivet, testify to the megalithic density of the region.

Historical sources, such as Monumentum and Wikipedia, confirm its status as a protected monument and its turbulent history, linked to local beliefs and land-use conflicts. Today, the Potstone remains an emblematic vestige of Norman megalithic heritage, accessible in the communal park of Ussy.

External links