Llanilltud Fawr

On a beautiful and warm autumn day a group consisting of Dave, Nicholas, Chris, Co, and
Hopsky visited Castle Ditches an Iron age multivallate fort on the coast near Llanilltud Fawr
(Llantwit Major) and then onto St Illtuds Church in the town - one of the oldest Christian sites in
Britain.

We met up in the town and walked along country lanes down to the beach where we took the
footpath along the coast to Castle Ditches.

The fort is in a good defensive position with a sea cliff on one side and a steep drop to the
Colhuw valley on another. There are three ramparts on the east side where the ground is level
the inner one of these is the highest and is now overgrown with bushes and small trees but was
great fun to climb down into.

The site itself is not immediately obvious and we were lucky that Steff had his books with him to
help us understand the layout and what exactly we were looking at. From here we walked down
more footpaths away from the coast until we reached the small road back into Llantwit Major
after leaping down onto the road we made out way to the Swan pub for lunch.

Nicholas made the most of his roast after Dave finally made himself understood at the bar -
seems the locals dont understand the language!

We were met at the pub by Lesley and her family and enjoyed sitting in the sun listening to
everybody chatting about everything and anything

It was the kind of day you could have spent the whole afternoon basking in the sunshine and
chatting to each other but we had more to see

Eglwys Sant Illtud -Saint Illtuds Church

We then made our way down the street to St Illtuds Church by the side of the Ogney Brook.

In the years following the Roman withdrawal in the 5th century AD Christianity flourished on
the west coast of Britain mainly due to the work and teachings of Celtic saints from Ireland.

St Illtud was one of the leading Celtic saints and founded a church here around AD 500. He also
built a monastery and a school. It became the burial place of local kings and an important
mission centre. It contains one of the most significant collections of Celtic stones in Wales
The town name of Llanwit major is also derived from its connection with St Illtud - Welsh -
Llaniltud Fawr - The large community of Illtud

This is the largest parish church on Glamorgan. It was restored in 1888 and further work
completed in 1899 and 1905 when many of its 15th century wall paintings were uncovered.
The building is a string of different building periods and is really two churches the West Church
where the entrance is was built by the Norman's around 1100 AD on the site of the Celtic church
and the East Church which was built as an extension around the end of the 13th Century. In
addition at the Western end of the church is a ruined building which is the remains of a late
medieval chantry

The West Church

This was built by the Normans on the site of the old Celtic Church.

It was originally a cruciform building but when the east church was added in the 13th Century
the transepts were removed. The present building is the third on the site as it was rebuilt in the
15th century

One of the main features of this building is the arch-braced roof with collar beam trusses which
is made of Irish bog oak. The main rafters rest on carved wooden corbels of human heads.
Square wooden bosses with coats of arms of important local families adorn the point where the
lower purlings cross the main rafters
The two smaller windows are probably from the Norman building while the larger windows
either side of the south door are of the perpendicular style.

There are a few graves of monks buried inside this part of the church and are marked with a
cross. As well as these there are two effigies one 13th century the other 16th century.

One the south east wall is an aumbry and near it a piscine indicating there would have been an
alter nearby.
Housed within the West Church are The Celtic Stones

The Celtic Stones

These stones date from the late ninth and early 10th centuries

St Illtud Cross (also known as the Samson Cross)

 Samson stone on the left

This stone which is now housed in the West Church originally stood by the path on the north of
the church. When it was lifted, two skeletons were found beneath.

It was probably capped by a wheel cross but this is now missing. The inscription reads:

SAMSON POSUIT HANC CRCEM PRO ANIMA EIUS

Samson placed his cross for his soul

On the reverse:

ILTUTI SAMSON REGIS SAMUEL EBISAR

For the soul of Illtus , Samson the king, Samuel, Ebisar.

Pillar of Samson

This 2.75 metres tall pillar has an inscription as follows:

IN NOMINE DI SUMMI INCIPIT CRUS SALVATORIS QUAE PREPARAVIT SAMSONI ABATI

PRO ANIMA SUA ET PRO ANIMA IUTHAHELO REX ET ARTMALI ETTECAN
In the name of the most high God begins the cross of the saviour which Samson the Abbot
prepared for his soul and for the soul of Iuthahelo the King and of Artmail and of Tecan.

The Houelt Cross

This is a massive 1.9 metres high with a carved shaft and a disc head.

The inscription reads:

(I)N INOMINE D(E)I PATRIS ET (S) PERETUS SANTDI ANC (C ) RUCEM HOUELT PROPE
(R )ABIT PRO ANIMA RES P(ATR) ES EUS
In the name of God the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit. Houelt prepared this cross
for the soul of res his father.
Part of the inscription of The Houelt cross