St Cynfarwy's Church, Llechgynfarwy

Coordinates: 53°18′07″N 4°25′51″W / 53.30196°N 4.43080°W / 53.30196; -4.43080
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St Cynfarwy's Church
Province of Wales
DioceseDiocese of Bangor
ArchdeaconryBangor
DeaneryLlifon and Talybolion
ParishBodedern with Llanfaethlu
Clergy
Vicar(s)Vacant since September 2009[1]

St Cynfarwy's Church is a medieval

St Cynfarwy (a 7th-century saint about whom little is known) in about 630, but no structure from that time survives. The present building contains a 12th-century baptismal font
, indicating the presence of a church at that time, although extensive rebuilding in 1867 removed the datable features of the previous edifice.

It is a Grade II listed building, a national designation given to "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them",[2] in particular because it is "a simple, rural church of Medieval origins".[3] The church is still used for worship by the Church in Wales, one of nine in a combined parish, although there has not been an incumbent priest since September 2009.

History and location

St Cynfarwy's Church is set within a churchyard at the side of the road in the centre of Llechgynfarwy, a hamlet in Anglesey, north Wales.[3] The settlement is in the countryside about 6 miles (10 km) to the north-west of Llangefni, the county town, and about 10 miles (16 km) from the port of Holyhead.[4]

According to the 19th-century Anglesey historian

Norwich Taxation of 1254.[3][6] On 5 November 1349, the possessions of the deceased clergyman who had been the incumbent priest of Llechgynfarwy were dealt with by an inquisition at Beaumaris, Anglesey – one of several dead clergymen whose goods were considered that day. According to the historian Antony Carr, the timing suggests that the priests had been victims of the Black Death, and he notes that "the clergy as a class were hit particularly hard" by it.[7]

A chapel was added on the south side of the building in 1664. St Cynfarwy's was largely reconstructed in 1867 under

transepts on the north and south sides;[5] there is nothing on the north side of the present building apart from the porch in the north-west corner, added by Kennedy in 1867.[8]

St Cynfarwy's is still used for worship by the

archdeaconry of Bangor and the Diocese of Bangor.[9]

People associated with the church include Owen Humphrey Davies, a 19th-century composer, conductor and quarry worker, who became a clergyman in his late forties. He was rector of the church from 1895 until his death in 1898.[10]

Architecture and fittings

St Cynfarwy's is built in

bellcote decorated with Tudor roses at the west end.[3]

The arched inner door of the porch (which was added by Kennedy in 1867), with its "ornate hinges", leads into the north-west corner of the nave.[3][8] Inside, the 19th-century roof with its exposed woodwork can be seen above the nave and chancel, which together measure 40 feet 3 inches by 16 ft 9 inches (12.3 by 5.1 m). There is no structural division between them, apart from two steps that lead up into the chancel.[3][4] The 17th-century chapel is on the south side of the church, and the wooden trusses of its roof can also be seen. There are external buttresses to support the structure at the north-east corner and alongside the porch.[3]

The north wall of the church has a window of two lights (sections of window separated by

Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire also noted a brass plate by the north nave window commemorating the 18th-century bequest of a Catherine Roberts to "two old housekeepers of unblemished character".[4]

The 12th-century stone font, which is 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter and 13 inches (33 cm) high, has a small circular bowl decorated with four panels carved with

Tudor dynasty. There are two 18th-century memorials on the north wall of the nave, less elaborate than the Bold memorial.[3][8]

A survey of church plate within the Bangor diocese in 1906 said that the church's chalice, dated 1632, was "an interesting and very rare example" from the time of King Charles I (reigned 1625–1649), and had "a mixture of characteristics of different periods."[11] It has a hexagonal stem engraved in medieval style, with a base depicting the Crucifixion and a more modern "engraved feather-like decoration".[11] The inscription and coat of arms record that it was donated by William Bold. It measures just under 8 inches (20 cm) high and is about 3.25 inches (8 cm) in diameter. The survey also noted a 19th-century silver eight-sided paten, decorated with similar engravings to the chalice.[11]

Assessment

St Cynfarwy's has national recognition and statutory protection from alteration as it has been designated as a Grade II listed building – the lowest of the three grades of listing, designating "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them".[2] It was given this status on 12 May 1970, and has been listed because it is regarded as "a simple, rural church of Medieval origin."[3] Cadw (the Welsh Government body responsible for the built heritage of Wales and the inclusion of Welsh buildings on the statutory lists) also notes that although the church retains some medieval fabric and has some features that date from the 17th century, it "is largely of 19th-century character", calling it "a simple vernacular building".[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Church in Wales: Benefices". Church in Wales. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  2. ^
    ISBN 1-85760-222-6
    .
  3. ^
    National Historic Assets of Wales
    . Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  4. ^
    Her Majesty's Stationery Office
    . p. 116.
  5. ^ a b Llwyd, Angharad (1833). A History of the Island of Mona. R. Jones. p. 301.
  6. ^ a b Longueville Jones, Harry (1862). "Mona Mediaeva No. XXVII". Archaeologia Cambrensis. 3rd. VIII. Cambrian Archaeological Association: 116–117.
  7. ISBN 978-0-9568769-0-4
    .
  8. ^
    ISBN 978-0-300-14169-6
    .
  9. ^ "Deanery of Llifon & Talybolion: St Cynfarwy, Llechgynfarwy". Church in Wales. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  10. ^ Griffith, Robert David (1959). "Davies, Owen Humphrey". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
  11. ^ a b c Jones, E. Alfred (1906). The church plate of the Diocese of Bangor. Bemrose and Sons Ltd. pp. 13–14.

External links

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