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Llanwnnws Inscribed Stone in Church is an early medieval stone bearing a cross mark, housed within the church at Llanwnnws in Wales. The stone represents a significant surviving example of early Christian monumentality in the Welsh landscape, dating to the period when Christian communities were establishing themselves across Britain and Ireland. Such cross-marked stones served both as markers of Christian faith and as focal points for worship and burial practice during the early medieval period.
The stone rests on geology formed during the Llandovery epoch, when the underlying bedrock—composed of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone—accumulated in ancient marine environments. This Llandovery formation would have been familiar to the medieval inhabitants of the parish, who likely quarried local stone for building and monument work. The choice to place or construct the inscribed stone at this location reflects the community's enduring occupation and religious commitment to the site.
The monument is protected by Cadw, the Welsh Historic Monuments service, under reference CD111, ensuring its preservation for future study. The survival of such stones within or near church buildings demonstrates how medieval and later communities valued these early Christian markers, incorporating them into evolving patterns of worship and burial practice that continued through the centuries.
Llanwnnws Inscribed Stone in Church is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference CD111. View the official record →
Llanwnnws Inscribed Stone in Church is an early medieval stone bearing a cross mark, housed within the church at Llanwnnws in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference CD111.
Llanwnnws Inscribed Stone in Church dates from the early medieval period, and is classified as a cross-marked stone. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
Llanwnnws Inscribed Stone in 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 CD111.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Gilfach y Dwn Fawr Defended Enclosure (6.8 km), Castell Flemish (7 km), Bryngwyn Bach Round Cairn Cemetery (7.9 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Llanwnnws Inscribed Stone in 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.
Llanwnnws Inscribed Stone in Church stands on Llandovery Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Llandovery. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.