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St Donat's Churchyard Cross is a medieval cross standing in the churchyard at St Donat's in Wales. The monument is protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage organisation, under reference GM361. Medieval churchyard crosses such as this typically served as focal points for parish life, marking gathering places and sites for preaching, market gatherings and public proclamations during the Middle Ages.
The cross stands upon bedrock of the Lias Group, a geological formation of mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone that was laid down during the Aalenian age of the early Jurassic period, approximately 174 to 170 million years ago. This locally occurring stone would have been readily available for quarrying and working by medieval craftsmen building and maintaining the cross and the adjoining church structures.
The monument's presence in an active churchyard reflects the enduring role of such crosses as religious and community landmarks. Many similar crosses survive across Wales and the wider British landscape, often modified or rebuilt over centuries yet maintaining their original purpose as sacred and social monuments at the heart of parish communities.
St Donat's Churchyard Cross is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference GM361. View the official record →
St Donat's Churchyard Cross is a medieval cross standing in the churchyard at St Donat's in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference GM361.
St Donat's Churchyard Cross dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a cross. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.
St Donat's 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 GM361.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Tresilian Bay Anti-invasion Defences (1.6 km), Nash Point Camp (1.9 km), Castle Ditches Camp (2.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of St Donat's 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.
St Donat's Churchyard Cross stands on Lias Group, bedrock that formed in the Aalenian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone, limestone and sandstone.