Bridgend residents in shock as rare medieval stepping stones damaged

Residents of a historic village have been left in shock after names were carved into rare medieval stepping stones.

The 41 slabs cross the Ewenny River in Bridgend and are adjacent to the 12th Century Ogmore Castle. They are listed as being “of national importance”.

In recent days, the names Patrick, Lily and Liana have appeared cut deeply into three stones.

South Wales Police are investigating the damage as a heritage crime, with support from Cadw, the body which preserves and protects Welsh heritage.

Cadw have said criminal damage to listed buildings is on the increase, adding that this year could see the highest ever number of reported crimes of damage and vandalism at some of Wales’ ancient sites.

The body said heritage crime was widely under-reported but rising, and encouraged anyone who witnesses suspicious behaviour at heritage sites to report it.

It is a criminal offence to damage or destroy a scheduled monument or use metal detectors on protected sites without consent.

Local resident, Erica Staple, from Merthyr Mawr said it was “mindless and unacceptable”.

Ms Staple likened the damage to the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland.

“This is an absolutely beautiful place,” she said.

“The whole village is upset by it. They’ve been there for hundreds of years and they’ve been defaced.

“To think anyone could do that. It’s just awful.”

She added her daughter asked if it could be put right, and she told her “there’s nothing we can really do”.

Ms Staple said she was concerned the three names could inspire copycats and there could be further vandalism.

“With the sycamore gap tree, people went to prison. I hope whoever carried this out is also taken to court.

“We’ve got to treasure what we’ve got.”

She added that despite the names written on the stone, the community had “no idea” who could have carried out the damage, which had “clearly taken planning”.

“We don’t know if they could be local or visiting the area.

“But we just don’t know. There are different theories. We hope that the police and CADW find out.”

Heritage crime refers to any illegal activity that harms historical assets. This includes:

• Theft of historic metal such as lead from church roofs
• Deliberate damage including graffiti or vandalism
• Unauthorised works on scheduled monuments
• Illegal metal detecting also known as “nighthawking”
• Anti-social behaviour, including littering, out of hours access or climbing on walls

On social media, other residents in the village have said the people responsible should just turn themselves in.

In the official listing of the stepping stones as a scheduled monument, CADW officials said they were likely to be of medieval origin with later revisions.

The citation states that the monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of early transport systems.

It adds that it is well preserved and a rare survival, retaining significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits.

Its significance is further enhanced by its proximity to Ogmore Castle.