St. Mary's Churchyard Cross, Llanfair Cilgedyn

Summary description and reason for designation

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

The monument consists of a free standing cross in the churchyard of St. Mary's church, Llanfair Kilgeddin. The medieval cross comprises four ashlar-built steps 3.40m square at ground level, surmounted by an square/octagonal socket-stone 0.86m wide by 0.72m high with large, keeled, broached (or "bull-nosed") stops at the corners and cable moulding around the stops and top edge. The lowest step is deeply chamfered on the underside. The octagonal medieval cross-shaft survives to a height of 0.76m, is 0.33m wide at the base, tapering to 0.29m at the top and has elongated pyramid stops at the base. The shaft is topped by an Edwardian cross-shaft and lantern-head erected in 1912 and recorded by an inscription on the south side of the third step.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of the organisation and practice of Christianity. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. A cross may be part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can 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.