Scheduled MonumentsWalesVelindre Pillar-Cross
Early Medieval · Cross-marked stone

Velindre Pillar-Cross

Pembrokeshire, Wales
Cadw SAM PE236
Period
Early Medieval
Site type
Cross-marked stone
Broad class
Religious, Ritual and Funerary
Nation
Wales
The designation
Reference
Cadw SAM PE236
Authority
Cadw
Designated
1951-03-14
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Velindre Pillar-Cross is a early medieval cross-marked stone standing in Wales. The monument consists of a stone bearing carved cross symbols, a form of Christian marker common across Britain and Ireland from the fifth century onwards. Such stones frequently marked burial grounds, territorial boundaries, or important routes through the landscape, and often incorporated pre-Christian standing stones into Christian use.

The stone sits upon bedrock of Arenig Rocks, composed of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone formed during the Arenigian period of the Ordovician geological era, many millions of years before its carving. This solid foundation of sedimentary stone provided the raw material for the cross-marked pillar itself, giving it the durability to survive to the present day as a witness to early medieval Christianity in Wales.

Velindre Pillar-Cross is protected as a scheduled monument under Cadw, Wales's heritage protection agency, registered under reference PE236. Its survival reflects both the permanence of stone as a medium and the continuing significance of early Christian sacred sites within the Welsh landscape, where such crosses served to anchor Christian faith to the local terrain.

Velindre Pillar-Cross is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference PE236. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Velindre Pillar-Cross?

Velindre Pillar-Cross is a early medieval cross-marked stone standing in Wales. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Cadw under reference PE236.

What period does Velindre Pillar-Cross date from?

Velindre Pillar-Cross dates from the early 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 Velindre Pillar-Cross?

Velindre Pillar-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 PE236.

What other scheduled monuments are near Velindre Pillar-Cross?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Camp 200m NE of Stoneyford (8 km), Wiston Castle (8 km), House Platforms N of St. Mary's Churchyard (8.1 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Velindre Pillar-Cross

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Velindre Pillar-Cross'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 Velindre Pillar-Cross

Velindre Pillar-Cross stands on Arenig Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Arenigian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.