King Doniert's Stone

King Doniert's Stone and its taller neighbour are the only surviving 9th-century stone crosses in Cornwall, standing in a small grassy enclosure beside the road a mile north-west of St Cleer. The shorter stone is carved with interlace on three faces and has a deep socket in its top for a lost cross head. Its weathered east face bears the Latin inscription 'Doniert rogavit pro anima', recording that Doniert asked for it to be made for his soul's sake. He is probably Dungarth, a king of Dumnonia who, the Welsh Annales Cambriae record, drowned around AD 875, making this the only such Cornish cross naming a figure known from written records. The taller shaft carries a panel of interlace, and excavation found a rock-cut passage ending in a cross-shaped chamber beneath the stones. The Cornwall Heritage Trust manages the site. Reviewers call it a worthwhile short stop with a helpful information board. Tip: a high step leads up from the layby to the stones.