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Inscribed Stone in the Chapel, Bardsey Island is an early medieval inscribed stone protected by Cadw as monument number CN142. The stone bears inscriptions in Latin and Celtic script, typical of funerary or commemorative stones from the post-Roman period when Christianity was becoming established in Wales. Such inscriptions often recorded the names of the dead and invocations of prayer, serving as permanent memorials within monastic or ecclesiastical communities.
Bardsey Island, lying off the Lleyn Peninsula in Gwynedd, was a significant centre of early Christian settlement and pilgrimage. The island's remote location made it a valued monastic refuge during the early medieval period. The chapel containing the stone is part of this religious heritage, evidence of sustained Christian worship and community life dating back over fourteen centuries.
The stone rests upon bedrock of Upper Cambrian age, specifically of Tremadocian formation, composed of metasedimentary rock including slate and mudstone. This ancient geology underlies the entire island, shaped during the Palaeozoic Era and subsequently worn by Atlantic weather. The inscribed stone itself, though far younger than its geological foundation, represents an enduring record of early medieval faith and commemoration preserved within one of Wales's most historically significant sacred sites.
Inscribed Stone in the Chapel, Bardsey Island is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CN142. View the official record →
Inscribed Stone in the Chapel, Bardsey Island is an early medieval inscribed stone protected by Cadw as monument number CN142. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CN142.
Inscribed Stone in the Chapel, Bardsey Island 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.
Inscribed Stone in the Chapel, Bardsey Island 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 CN142.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cross-Inscribed Stone in the Chapel, Bardsey Island (0 km), St Mary's Abbey, Bardsey Island (0.1 km), Mynydd Enlli Round Barrow, Bardsey Island (0.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Inscribed Stone in the Chapel, Bardsey Island'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.
Inscribed Stone in the Chapel, Bardsey Island stands on Upper Cambrian, Including Tremadoc, bedrock that formed in the Tremadocian. The rock here is metasedimentary rock.