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This sited a little way further along the A542 from Valle Crucis Abbey and may be the key to ultimatley finding out what lies beneath the Abbey.

The stone column is all that is left of a once much bigger Celtic cross that may have been placed at the centre of a small township in the proximity of the Abbey and surrounding fields.

Dating from the 9th Century, the now illegible inscriptions on the column are the main cause of interest and we have one man to thank for keeping this information alive.


Our old friend Edward Llwyd, who made the earliest mention of Guinevere's Cross in the 1690s, made a record of the inscriptions at the same time and revealed a fascinating story.

The pillar was erected in the 8th Century by Cyngen, who was the last native king of Powys, in memory of his great-grandfather Eliseg.

After much genealogical description, the writings state that both were descended from Vortigern, the much maligned 5th Century British leader who was eventually slain by none other than Uthyr Pendragon, King Arthur's father.

This was in retaliation for Vortigern's alliance with the Saxons, which ultimately led to the Saxon Wars in which Arthur is supposed to have fought.

Vortigern is also famous in early British history for his meeting with the child Merlin at Dinas Emrys, a hill fort in the mountains of Snowdonia.

Some of the other names on the pillar can also be identified as part of Arthur's extended family, which only deepens the intrigue even further.

Whatever happened and who was involved will be argued over for years to come but the one thing we know for sure is that the Valley of Eliseg holds many secrets about Arthur, his family and his life.