St Mary's Church

Summary description and reason for designation

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

The monument comprises the ruined remains of a small church, probably dating to the medieval or late medieval period. The foundations of the church are visible within a large rectangular earthen-banked enclosure. Although the surviving foundations remain, in places, up to 0.6m in height, the plan of the structure is difficult to ascertain. The irregular outer banks are unlikely to represent the foundations of the original building and it is likely that the building has witnessed extensive robbing (or perhaps antiquarian investigation). The well-defined trench visible within the NE end of the site could result from such activity, the spread bank around this end being the resulting spoil. The well-defined banks on the SW end and SE side may indicate the extent of the original building. This subrectangular structure measures 8.5m from NE to SW by 7.5m transversely within partial grass covered banks about 1.5m in thickness and up to 0.6m in height. A smaller, possibly subcircular, outshot extends 4m to the SW within a bank of similar dimensions. There is a possible entrance, visible as a slight depression, within the NE end of the building.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval ecclesiastical sites. The monument forms an important element within the wider medieval context and the site may be expected to contain archaeological information in regard to chronology, building techniques and functional detail. The site is probably associated with the pilgrimage route to Bardsey Island.
The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.