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Margam Inscribed & Sculptured Stones is a early medieval cross located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference GM011. The monument stands on bedrock of the Pennine and South Wales Middle Coal Measures Formation, a Moscovian-age sequence of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone interspersed with coal and ironstone deposits. These solid geological foundations have supported the cross through more than a thousand years of exposure to the South Welsh climate.
Early medieval crosses of this type were raised across Wales between roughly the fifth and twelfth centuries, serving as markers of Christian faith, territorial boundaries or commemorative monuments. The inscriptions and sculptural details carved into the stone preserve evidence of religious practice and craftsmanship from this formative period of Welsh Christian culture.
The monument's survival on this coalfield landscape demonstrates the durability of its stone carving despite the industrial transformation of the surrounding region. As a protected Cadw monument, it remains a significant testimony to the region's early medieval heritage and the continuity of sacred sites across centuries of social and economic change.
Margam Inscribed & Sculptured Stones is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM011. View the official record →
Margam Inscribed & Sculptured Stones is a early medieval cross located in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference GM011.
Margam Inscribed & Sculptured Stones 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.
Margam Inscribed & Sculptured Stones 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 GM011.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Kenfig Castle & Medieval Town (3.7 km), Sculptured Cross Llanmihangel Farm (3.8 km), Leat & Dam at Llanmihangel Mill (4.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Margam Inscribed & Sculptured Stones'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.
Margam Inscribed & Sculptured Stones stands on Pennine Middle Coal Measures Formation And South Wales Middle Coal Measures Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Moscovian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.