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Castle Hill Sculptured Stone is an early medieval inscribed stone now housed within Llanilar Church in Wales. The monument was originally located at Castle Hill before its removal and installation in the church, where it remains protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Cadw under reference CD113. Such sculptured stones are characteristic of the early medieval period in Wales, serving as markers of high-status burial sites or territorial significance within local communities.
The stone's original setting at Castle Hill placed it within a landscape underlain by Llandovery Rocks, a geological formation composed of interbedded sandstone and conglomerate typical of the Ordovician period. This local geology would have made the stone a notable feature of the contemporary landscape, its inscribed surface visible to travellers and inhabitants moving through the Welsh countryside during the early medieval centuries.
The decision to relocate the stone into Llanilar Church reflects the common practice of incorporating pre-Christian monuments into ecclesiastical spaces during and after the medieval period. This placement connects the stone to the spiritual life of the local community whilst ensuring its preservation. The inscription remains an important record of early medieval settlement, religious practice and communication in this region of Wales.
Castle Hill Sculptured Stone (Moved into Llanilar Church) is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD113. View the official record →
Castle Hill Sculptured Stone is an early medieval inscribed stone now housed within Llanilar Church in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CD113.
Castle Hill Sculptured Stone (Moved into Llanilar Church) dates from the early medieval period, and is classified as a inscribed stone. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Castle Hill Sculptured Stone (Moved into Llanilar Church) 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 CD113.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Gaer Fawr (4.1 km), Caer Argoed (4.2 km), Trawsgoed Roman Fort (5.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Castle Hill Sculptured Stone (Moved into Llanilar Church)'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.
Castle Hill Sculptured Stone (Moved into Llanilar Church) stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.