83327

 

II  

Designated  

25/11/2004  

25/11/2004  

Churchyard gateway and churchyard wall to right  

 

Ceredigion  

Blaenrheidol  

Aberystwyth  

Ysbyty Cynfin  

275266  

279078  

 

Situated set back on W side of A4120 some 2km S of Ponterwyd.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Churchyard wall to churchyard incorporating four large standing stones. There is some uncertainty over their antiquity and they do not have any recorded history before 1804 despite the number of visitors who passed the churchyard to visit Parson's Bridge below, several of whom note the church. A single 'large upright stone' in the churchyard was mentioned by Malkin in 1804, revised to several in the second edition 1807 and this repeated in 1810 by Meyrick. The Rev. Walter Davies in 1813 said that Iolo Morgannwg saw the remains of a Druidical circle in the churchyard wall. Nicholson mentions two as gateposts in 1815. But the churchyard is not circular, nor are the stones on a circle, and the churchyard walling passes under all of them suggesting that they are reset. The available records suggest the possibility that the stones may be reset or reused from the time of the rewalling of the churchyard. The churchyard wall was needing to be put in order in 1807, and this had been done by 1820, possibly by 1813. However the exceptional size of the E stone and the difficulty of moving such things leaves open the possibility that this one and perhaps others were on the course of the churchyard wall, if not actually standing and were re-erected while the churchyard was being enclosed.  

Churchyard wall, rubble stone retaining wall with flat coping stones and rounded end-on stones above. Gateway with C20 iron gate and two upright stones flanking, the stone to left large, that to right considerable smaller. Wall curves round to right and is broken for a larger standing stone, and then another smaller one, before continuing up E side of churchyard interrupted for a stone of exceptional height, the largest known in the county, some 3.5m, before terminating some 30m further on at a gate pier.  

 

Included as a churchyard gate and section of wall incorporating large standing stones, one of exceptional size. Group value with the church, an interesting and unusual churchyard boundary.