© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
Llanglydwen Churchyard Cross is an early medieval stone cross located in Wales and protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw under reference CM160. The cross stands in the churchyard at Llanglydwen, where the underlying bedrock consists of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone of the Whiterock period, part of the Llanvirn Rocks sequence. This geological foundation has provided a stable base for the monument across more than a millennium.
Early medieval crosses of this type were erected across Wales and the broader Celtic regions between roughly the fifth and eleventh centuries. They served multiple purposes: marking sacred sites, commemorating the dead, delineating church land, and affirming Christian faith in the landscape. The cross at Llanglydwen exemplifies this religious and territorial significance within its churchyard setting.
The monument's survival reflects both the durability of its stone construction and the continuity of the churchyard as a sacred space. As a designated heritage asset, the cross contributes to understanding the early Christian settlement patterns and monumental practice in medieval Wales, and the geological character of the local landscape has been integral to its preservation.
Llanglydwen Churchyard Cross is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CM160. View the official record →
Llanglydwen Churchyard Cross is an early medieval stone cross located in Wales and protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw under reference CM160.
Llanglydwen Churchyard Cross dates from the early medieval period, and is classified as a cross. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Llanglydwen Churchyard Cross 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 CM160.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Gelli Diogyn Hillfort (5.7 km), Inscribed Stone N of Parciau Farmhouse (6.7 km), Lan Enclosure (7.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Llanglydwen Churchyard Cross'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.
Llanglydwen Churchyard Cross stands on Llanvirn Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Whiterock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.