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Site of Tegernacus Stone is an early medieval inscribed stone located in Wales, protected by Cadw as monument GM339. The stone survives from the period when written commemoration in stone was a characteristic feature of Welsh Christian communities, typically marking burials, boundaries or local significance. Such monuments preserve some of the earliest recorded Welsh language and personal names, offering crucial evidence of post-Roman settlement and cultural continuity.
The site rests upon the South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, Westphalian bedrock composed of mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete. This geological sequence reflects the ancient deltaic environments that shaped the South Wales landscape millions of years before human occupation. The local geology would have influenced settlement patterns and resource availability in the early medieval period when the stone was erected.
Early medieval inscribed stones of this type typically date from the fifth to seventh centuries, though dating remains uncertain without excavation. They represent a distinctive form of commemoration adopted by Christian communities across Wales and the West, distinct from both Roman monumental practice and later medieval traditions. The Tegernacus Stone contributes to the archaeological record of early medieval Wales and the continuity of settlement within this industrially significant geological region.
Site of Tegernacus Stone is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM339. View the official record →
Site of Tegernacus Stone is an early medieval inscribed stone located in Wales, protected by Cadw as monument GM339. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM339.
Site of Tegernacus Stone 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.
Site of Tegernacus 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 GM339.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Rectangular Earthworks 530m SSW of Heol-Ddu-Uchaf (3.5 km), Capel Gwladys (3.5 km), Fforest Gwladys Roman practice camp (3.6 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Site of Tegernacus Stone'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.
Site of Tegernacus Stone stands on South Wales Upper Coal Measures Formation, bedrock that formed in the Westphalian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete.