© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Capel Gwladys is an early medieval chapel situated in Wales on bedrock of the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation. The underlying geology comprises mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete, rocks formed during the Westphalian age of the Carboniferous period. The chapel stands protected as a scheduled ancient monument under Cadw reference GM309.
Early medieval chapels in Wales were typically small, simple structures serving local communities during the period following Roman withdrawal. Their foundation often reflects important routes, settlement patterns, and the spread of Christianity through the Welsh landscape. Capel Gwladys represents this tradition of modest ecclesiastical building, its presence indicating early Christian activity in its locality.
The monument survives within the distinctive landscape of the South Wales coalfield, where coal-bearing strata and ironstone deposits shaped both the geology and future industrial history of the region. As an early medieval site preserved on Cadw's schedule, Capel Gwladys contributes to understanding the religious and settlement archaeology of post-Roman Wales, occupying terrain that would later become central to Wales's industrial development.
Capel Gwladys is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM309. View the official record →
Capel Gwladys is an early medieval chapel situated in Wales on bedrock of the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM309.
Capel Gwladys dates from the early medieval period, and is classified as a chapel. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Capel Gwladys is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is GM309.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Carneddi Llwydion (7.6 km), Two Round Cairns on the Bryn (8.6 km), Cross Ridge Dyke & Cairn on Twyn Hywel (8.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Capel Gwladys's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Capel Gwladys stands on South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.