ME249

Medieval Ecclesiastical Structure SE of Ty'n y Coed Cottage  

04/11/2005  

Designated  

Gwynedd  

Llanbedr  

259401  

327486  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

Chapel  

Medieval  

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Monument. The foundations of this substantial stone building, 10.5m x 5.9m, survive on a small knoll immediately SE of Ty’n y Coed Cottage. Excavation in 1906 recovered medieval pottery and local tradition associates the site with an early church, possibly a chapel or chantry (a chapel endowed for the celebration of Masses for the soul of the founder) for the nearby medieval hospital of St Mary the Virgin. The scale of the structure and its orientation (broadly E-W) would support this interpretation. The walls are now tumbled and largely turfed over, but still stand up to 1.0m high and an entrance can be identified towards the W end of the N wall. A low bank, possibly contemporary, but now obscured by vegetation, encloses the building. The excavations also recovered some curious glazed pebbles. The monument is an important component within the wider medieval landscape and may be expected to contain archaeological information relating to the building's structure and function. Floor surfaces clearly survive and the site has potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval ecclesiastical organisation in the area. The area scheduled comprises the remains described above and an area around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive. It is rectangular and measures 22m from SW to NE and 18m transversely.