Scheduled MonumentsWalesSt. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross, Goldcliff
Medieval · Cross

St. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross, Goldcliff

Wales
Cadw SAM MM313
Period
Medieval
Site type
Cross
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM MM313
Authority
Cadw
Designated
2002-07-31
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

St. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross, Goldcliff is a medieval cross standing in the churchyard of St. Mary Magdalene's Church in Goldcliff, Wales. The monument is a scheduled ancient monument protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage organisation, under the reference MM313. Medieval churchyard crosses of this type are typically constructed from stone and served both functional and symbolic purposes within parish communities, marking boundaries and serving as focal points for religious gatherings and processions.

The cross is situated on bedrock comprising Triassic rocks of undifferentiated mudstone, siltstone and sandstone, geological formations dating from approximately 252 to 201 million years ago. This substantial stone base provided stable ground suitable for the construction and long-term survival of the monument. The Goldcliff site sits within the low-lying coastal landscape of the Severn Estuary area, where such medieval stone monuments remain important witnesses to medieval parish organisation and religious practice in South Wales.

As a scheduled monument under Cadw's protection, St. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross is recognised as an important archaeological and historical resource. The cross represents the medieval period's material culture and the religious significance of churchyard spaces in medieval Welsh communities, contributing to our understanding of parochial life and commemoration practices during the medieval era.

St. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross, Goldcliff is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MM313. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is St. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross, Goldcliff?

St. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MM313.

What period does St. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross, Goldcliff date from?

St. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross, Goldcliff dates from the medieval period, and is classified as a cross. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting St. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross, Goldcliff?

St. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross, Goldcliff 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 MM313.

What other scheduled monuments are near St. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross, Goldcliff?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Goldcliff Moated House Site (0.6 km), Goldcliff Pill Anti-invasion Defences (0.6 km), Moated Site E of Grangefield Farm (3 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about St. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross, Goldcliff

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of St. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross, Goldcliff'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 St. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross, Goldcliff

St. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross, Goldcliff stands on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around St. Mary Magdalene's Churchyard Cross, Goldcliff

CaerwentRoman town · ~7.9 milesCaerphilly CastleArchaeological site · ~13.2 miles