Scheduled MonumentsWalesCross in St Mary's Churchyard
Medieval · Cross

Cross in St Mary's Churchyard

Wales
Cadw SAM GM224
Period
Medieval
Site type
Cross
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM GM224
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1953-03-19
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Cross in St Mary's Churchyard is a medieval stone cross that stands within the burial ground of St Mary's Church in Wales. The monument is protected as a scheduled ancient monument by Cadw, the Welsh heritage organisation, under reference GM224. Medieval churchyard crosses of this type served as focal points for parish gatherings, religious processions and community assemblies, whilst also marking sacred ground.

The cross is situated on bedrock composed of Triassic sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded deposits that underlie this part of Wales. These rocks, formed during the Triassic period over 200 million years ago, provided the geological foundation for settlement and the development of the ecclesiastical site. The stable Triassic geology would have offered suitable ground for both the construction of the church and the positioning of the cross.

The presence of this medieval cross demonstrates the religious and administrative significance of St Mary's Church within its parish. Such monuments are characteristic features of Welsh churchyards and provide evidence of medieval community life and spiritual practice. The cross remains an important record of the church's historical importance and the long-established Christian use of this site.

Cross in St Mary's Churchyard is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM224. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Cross in St Mary's Churchyard?

Cross in St Mary's Churchyard is a medieval stone cross that stands within the burial ground of St Mary's Church in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM224.

What period does Cross in St Mary's Churchyard date from?

Cross in St Mary's Churchyard dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a cross. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Cross in St Mary's Churchyard?

Cross in St Mary's Churchyard 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 GM224.

What other scheduled monuments are near Cross in St Mary's Churchyard?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Round Barrows W of Cant-Erw (8.3 km), Domen Fawr Round Barrows (8.7 km), Croes Heol y Splott Round Barrow (8.8 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Cross in St Mary's Churchyard

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Cross in St Mary's Churchyard's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Cross in St Mary's Churchyard

Cross in St Mary's Churchyard stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

The wider landscape

Around Cross in St Mary's Churchyard

Caerphilly CastleArchaeological site · ~13.1 miles