Maen Achwyfan

Both the age and purpose of the cross is a matter of debate. However, the name may imply that the stone was in situ before the Viking Age, as it derives from the Brythonic language magno-, a word that commonly denotes a stone of significance and is more usually associated with Christian stones erected in Wales during the early medieval period. The first reference to the cross in English texts is by the antiquarian Edward Lhuyd, who provided a description of notable Welsh antiquities for Edmund Gibson's 1695 edition of William Camden's Britannia. This description suggested that the cross was erected as a monument on the spot of a great battle, linking the cross to the twenty barrows and…

The cross is situated to the north of the village of Whitford, standing on the plain near the hill of Garreg, adjoining Pen-yr-Allt. It is carved from a single block of stone and stands 3.4 m high, making it the "tallest wheel cross in Britain". The rest of the pillar is covered in elegant carvings; Celtic knots, chequered patterns, fretworks, wreathing and foliage are found on all sides in high relief and of remarkable workmanship, although as of 2003 the figurative images are "now barely discernible".