St. Illtud's Church, Early Medieval Cross, Cross Shafts and Pillar

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The monument comprises a collection of six cross-shafts, pillars and a cross dating to the early medieval period (410-1066 AD). They are located within, and at the west end, of St Illtyd’s Church, Llantwit Major.

Item ‘A’ is a fragment of the base of a cylindrical pillar, possibly one of a pair with Item ‘E’. It measures 0.63m in height and a maximum of 0.48m in diameter. It retains traces of decorative moulding and a vertical groove, and dates to the tenth-eleventh centuries.

Item ‘B’ is the cross-shaft of a composite cross known as the Samson Cross or Illtyd Stone. It measures 2.02m in height, 0.84m in length and 0.23m in depth. It has carved decoration on all four sides and Latin inscriptions on both faces, including the names Samson the King and Ebisar. The upper surface has a rectangular mortice for the missing disc-headed cross. It dates to the early tenth century.

Item ‘C’ is a disc-headed slab-cross known as the Houelt Cross. It measures 1.9m in height, 0.81m in length and 0.19m in width. The faces and the edges of the cross-head have carved decoration in low relief, with one face containing a Latin inscription including the names Houelt and Res. It dates from the mid-late ninth century.

Item ‘D’ is a quadrangular cross-shaft with the main face containing a Latin inscription including the name Abbot Samson. It measures 2.08m in height, 0.65m in length and 0.36m in width. It probably dates to the late eight century.

Item ‘E’ is a cylindrical pillar, of unknown purpose and possibly paired with Item ‘A’. It measures 2.05m in height and 0.45m in diameter. The entire surface is decorated in low relief plaitwork around a prominent vertical groove. It dates from the tenth-eleventh centuries.

Item ‘F’ is a pillar-cross shaft. Each of the four faces has recessed panels of plaitwork and interlace in low relief, framed by plain borders. It measures 1.4m in height, 0.39m in length and 0.26m in width. It dates to the late ninth or early tenth centuries.

The monuments are of national importance for their potential to enhance our knowledge of early medieval society, religion and links abroad. They are important relics of early medieval religious practices and retain important evidence of early medieval art, sculpture and writing. Item ‘C’ is one of the earliest of the Welsh sculptured crosses and the inscription indicates that Llantwit Major was used as a burial ground for local kings. Item ‘D’ shares artistic design links with manuscripts from Ireland. Item ‘B’ shares the name Ebissar with the two composite pillar-crosses at St Crallo’s Church, Coychurch (GM213), suggesting a common patron, and shares group value with them. Item ‘F’ is considered stylistically to be one of the best Welsh examples of this monument class.