Croes Caeriw

Heritage attraction

What is recorded here

Carew Cross is a richly carved eleventh-century stone monument whose woven patterns and damaged inscription preserve an important, though not fully certain, link with early medieval rulers.

Read the whole record

Carew Cross is a richly carved eleventh-century stone monument whose woven patterns and damaged inscription preserve an important, though not fully certain, link with early medieval rulers.

Why it was made

The tall cross was made as a Christian monument and public sign of rank in the eleventh century. Its original position and the exact event it marked are no longer known.

People and events

The worn writing has traditionally been read as naming Maredudd ap Edwin, a ruler of Deheubarth who died in 1035, but modern study warns that the lettering does not prove that reading.

How it worked

Deeply cut bands of plaited stone cover the shaft and arms, turning a large block into a visible statement of Christian belief, skilled work and the standing of its patron.

What remains

The cross stands about four metres high beside Carew Castle. Much carving remains crisp, although part of the head and inscription were damaged before its first clear record at Carew around 1690.

Why it mattered

It is one of Wales's finest surviving early medieval crosses and shows how stone carving carried both faith and power when written evidence for local rulers is scarce.