© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw
St. Sannan's Churchyard Cross is a medieval cross located in Bedwellty, Wales, and protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw under reference MM310. The monument stands within the churchyard of the parish church dedicated to Saint Sannan, reflecting the religious significance of this site through the medieval period and beyond. Such churchyard crosses served as focal points for devotion and community gathering, and often marked the boundary between sacred and secular space.
The cross is positioned upon bedrock formed from the South Wales Upper Coal Measures, a geological formation of the Westphalian period comprising mudstone, siltstone, sandstone, coal, ironstone and ferricrete. This coal-rich landscape shaped the economic history of the region and influenced settlement patterns throughout the medieval and post-medieval periods. The stable foundation provided by these solid strata has helped preserve the monument through centuries of exposure to Welsh weather.
As a scheduled monument, St. Sannan's Churchyard Cross represents an important surviving example of medieval religious architecture and craftsmanship within the Bedwellty parish. The monument contributes to our understanding of medieval devotional practices and the material culture of religious communities in Wales during this formative period of Welsh ecclesiastical development.
St. Sannan's Churchayrd Cross, Bedwellty is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MM310. View the official record →
St. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference MM310.
St. Sannan's Churchayrd Cross, Bedwellty 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. Sannan's Churchayrd Cross, Bedwellty 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 MM310.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Twyn Tudor (7 km), Charcoal Blast Furnace at Abercarn (7.4 km), Cairn Cemetery on Mynydd Bach, Bedwas (8.3 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of St. Sannan's Churchayrd Cross, Bedwellty'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. Sannan's Churchayrd Cross, Bedwellty 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.