Castle Hill Sculptured Stone (Moved into Llanilar Church)

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The monument consists of an inscribed stone, probably dating to the early medieval period. It was first noted by Meyrick in 1808 at Maes Mynach near Cwm Mynach, which might refer to the farm at Cribyn near Lampeter; it appears at some point, perhaps earlier, to have been at another farm, Y Gaer, in that area. By the time it was scheduled in 1956 it had been moved to Llanilar and was lying in front of Castle Hill house; by then it had been there long enough for a structure provided to protect it to have disappeared. In 1958 it was moved into Llanilar Church, where it stands against the east wall of the porch. The stone is c.1.75m high, c.0.51m-0.61m wide and c.0.33m-0.50m thick. On one face is a rather irregular framed panel of interlace design, formed by punching away the material between the bands. It is very similar to the stone from Silian, also near Lampeter, (scheduled ancient monument CD064) and is likely to date to the later 9th or early 10th century. (Nash-Williams 107; Edwards CD21)

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of the organisation and practice of medieval Christianity. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. An inscribed stone may be part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can be further enhanced by their group value.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.