Neven Church - Dedicated to Saint Brynach, a Welsh Saint.
This Churchyard has hundreds of old headstones, mostly 17th & 18th Century. Within its circular perimeter walls, & near the Church entrance, you find the oldest, Gravestone, that of Vitalinus Emereto.
Over 1,500 years old.
"Outside the church at the east-side of the porch stands the 5 foot (1.5 metre) high Vitalianus Stone, a Romano-British gravestone from the 5th century AD that has a faint Latin inscription in memory of VITALIANI EMERETO – ‘The stone of Vitalianus discharged with honour.’ Again there are Ogham-script notches on the edge, making this a bi-lingual inscription. According to the author Chris Barber in his book ‘More Mysterious Wales’ Vitalianus is Vortimer, the son of King Vortigern and, says Barber: “and it is feasible that it is his memorial stone that can be seen here at the church of St Brynach”." Text Source: (
visit link) & (
visit link)
"Nevern Church, dedicated to St. Brynach, a Welsh Saint, of the 6th century, and a contemporary of St. David. The architecture was Norman originally. In 1809 a few of the Gothic were replaced by modern (or parlour) windows. In 1819 the entire of the remaining windows were replaced in like manner, the roof ceiled, etc. In the south wall is the following notice: "The Body of the Church rebuilt A.D. 1819. The Rev. Dd. Griffiths Vicar, J. E. Evans, Esq., E. W. Jones, Esq., W. Symonds, Gent., Mr. Vaughan, Church-wardens".
The church is said to have been originally founded in the sixth century, by St. Brynach, or Byrnach, to whom it is dedicated, and rebuilt by some of the Norman lords of Kemmes: the present is an ancient and venerable structure, in the Norman style of architecture. In the churchyard, to the south of the porch, there is the shaft of an ancient British cross, elaborately wrought, and bearing an inscription near the centre, which is almost obliterated: it consists of a single stone, thirteen feet high, two feet broad, 1 foot thick, with a circular top charged with a cross, and carved on all sides with other crosses, and knots of various shapes. On the north side of the churchyard was another stone, six feet high, with the inscription "VITATIANI EMERITI," but this has been for some time removed, & on display inside the church.
The long nave and chancel may be all of the 15th century as no features are earlier than that. There are transeptal chapels on each side, that on the south being rib-vaulted in two bays. The pier and two arches are Victorian insertions below a wider flatter original arch. Two chapel windows have an Ogham stone and another tomb-stone as sills. The west tower is 16th century.' Text source: (
visit link) & (
visit link)
Nevern Cross
"The large, impressive cross at Nevern churchyard is closely related in style to the cross at Carew, and is of a similar late 10th or early 11th century date. Like the Carew Cross, it is inscribed on the shaft - on the front, the Latin inscription reads: H/AN/.EH, and on the back: DNS. The meaning of the first is uncertain, but DNS is probably an abbreviated form of Dominus (Lord).
The cross, fashioned in the local hard dolerite, comprises two separate pieces - the upper wheel-head and a shouldered neck are joined by a mortise-and-tenon joint to the shaft, which terminates in a slightly stepped base. From the side it may be seen how the shaft is reduced in thickness towards the top by means of a chamfered offset. The wheel-head has the same curving arms to the cross as are seen on the Carew Cross, a feature that characterizes the 'Anglican' type." Text Source: (
visit link) & (
visit link)