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Early Gravestones & Shaft in Churchyard is an Early Medieval cross shaft preserved in a Welsh churchyard. The monument stands upon bedrock of Neoproterozoic metamorphic rocks, including marble and meta-limestone, which would have provided local stone for both the cross itself and the surrounding gravestones. These ancient geological foundations, formed hundreds of millions of years before the cross was carved, give the site deep temporal layering characteristic of long-occupied sacred places in Wales.
The cross shaft represents ecclesiastical stone-working traditions that flourished in Wales from the 5th to 11th centuries. Such monuments typically served as focal points for worship and commemoration, marking the spiritual centre of early Christian communities. The survival of multiple gravestones alongside the shaft indicates continuity of use as a burial ground across centuries, with successive generations choosing to inter their dead at this hallowed location.
The site is protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw, the historic monuments service of Wales, under reference AN053. This designation recognises its significance as evidence of early Christian practice and stone-carving craft in medieval Wales. The monument's preservation allows study of Early Medieval funerary customs and the evolution of Christian worship in the Welsh landscape.
Early Gravestones & Shaft in Churchyard is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference AN053. View the official record →
Early Gravestones & Shaft in Churchyard is an Early Medieval cross shaft preserved in a Welsh churchyard. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference AN053.
Early Gravestones & Shaft in Churchyard dates from the early medieval period, and is classified as a cross shaft. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Early Gravestones & Shaft in 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 AN053.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Perthi-Duon Burial Chamber (3.8 km), Llys Rhosyr (4.1 km), Hendai Medieval Farmstead (6.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Early Gravestones & Shaft in Churchyard'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.
Early Gravestones & Shaft in Churchyard stands on Unnamed Metamorphic Rocks, Neoproterozoic, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is marble, meta-limestone.