ABSTRACT
This chapter considers work in south-west Wales, largely undertaken as part of the Cadw Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Sites project. Ecclesiastical sites of the period have been identified using various methods which, however, require an integrated approach. Some can be identified in contemporary sources; others in later documentation in which earlier events may be recorded, and in which institutions could survive in various forms. Cropmarks have also been identified around several known sites suggesting the presence of larger ecclesiastical enclosures. Early medieval inscribed stones and stone sculpture are, in themselves, of arguable importance in the identification of early ecclesiastical sites. Rural churchyards in south-west Wales appear to be primary physical elements in the landscape, and evidence for relocation is limited. The Roman infrastructure was another strong influence on the location of ecclesiastical sites. Excavated evidence is confined to burials and cemeteries, and though only a small number of sites have been scientifically dated, important new results have emerged from recent excavations.
