Scheduled MonumentsWalesPyle Incised Stone
Medieval · Cross-marked stone

Pyle Incised Stone

Wales
Cadw SAM GM036
Period
Medieval
Site type
Cross-marked stone
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Pyle Incised Stone is a medieval cross-marked stone located in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference GM036. The monument consists of a stone bearing an incised cross, a form of Christian marker common in medieval Wales from the 6th century onwards. Such stones served multiple purposes within the medieval landscape: they marked burial sites, indicated monastic or ecclesiastical territories, guided pilgrims along established routes, or commemorated significant locations within Christian communities.

The stone sits upon Triassic bedrock composed of sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded deposits formed during the Triassic period over 200 million years ago. This geological foundation has shaped the local landscape and the availability of suitable stone for the monument itself. The Pyle Incised Stone represents the enduring presence of early Christian practices in the medieval Welsh countryside, where such simple but deliberate inscriptions conveyed spiritual significance to communities who recognised the cross as a symbol of faith.

The monument survives as archaeological evidence of medieval religious expression and land use in Wales. Cross-marked stones of this period are typically modest in scale but substantial in cultural meaning, anchoring Christian identity and territorial claims within the landscape. Cadw's protection of the Pyle Incised Stone ensures this artefact remains available for study and appreciation by future generations interested in medieval Welsh heritage.

Pyle Incised Stone is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM036. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Pyle Incised Stone?

Pyle Incised Stone is a medieval cross-marked stone located in Wales, protected by Cadw under reference GM036.

What period does Pyle Incised Stone date from?

Pyle Incised Stone dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a cross-marked stone. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Pyle Incised Stone?

Pyle Incised Stone 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 GM036.

What other scheduled monuments are near Pyle Incised Stone?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Nottage Court Inscribed Stone (4.2 km), Dan-y-Graig Roman villa (4.7 km), Hutchwns round barrow (4.8 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Pyle Incised Stone

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Pyle Incised Stone's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Pyle Incised Stone

Pyle Incised Stone stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is sandstone and conglomerate, interbedded.

The wider landscape

Around Pyle Incised Stone

Caerphilly CastleArchaeological site · ~20.8 miles