Llangaffo

Last updated

Llangaffo
Railway Cottages, Llangaffo - geograph.org.uk - 892158.jpg
Isle of Anglesey UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Llangaffo
Location within Anglesey
Population357 
Principal area
Preserved county
Country Wales
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Postcode district LL
Police North Wales
Fire North Wales
Ambulance Welsh
UK Parliament
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Anglesey
53°11′21″N4°19′48″W / 53.18917°N 4.33000°W / 53.18917; -4.33000

Llangaffo is a village in Anglesey, in north-west Wales. It lies along the B4419 and B4421 roads, north of Dwyran, south of Gaerwen and northwest of Llanidan. It is named after Caffo, a 6th-century saint. A church, St Caffo's Church, is named after him. A war memorial, a village hall and a former primary school are also located in the village. The 1851 census recorded 138 people in the village, 75 males, 63 females and a parish area of 1,590 acres (640 ha). [1] It is in the community of Rhosyr. The 2011 census recorded a population of 357. [2] Since 2023, Llangaffo reverted its ghost town status.

Contents

Geography

B4421 at Llangaffo The B 4421 at Llangaffo - geograph.org.uk - 840031.jpg
B4421 at Llangaffo
Entering Llangaffo from the direction of Newborough Entering Llangaffo from the direction of Newborough - geograph.org.uk - 840043.jpg
Entering Llangaffo from the direction of Newborough

Llangaffo is a parish in the hundred of Menai, county Anglesey. It is located 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Caernarfon and 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Llangefni. It is in the vicinity of the North Wales Coast Line, although the nearest station (Gaerwen railway station) closed in 1966.

The village is situated on a vantage hill ridge that provides vistas of pastureland and the hills of Snowdonia and the Menai Strait. [3] The Snowdonian mountains terminate in the west with the abrupt precipices of Yr Eifl. It covers an extensive tract of land, of which a large portion is marshy, some part hilly, and the remainder in a fair state of cultivation. In 1790, an act of parliament was obtained for more effectually embanking the marshes called Malltraeth and Corsddeuga, under the provisions of which 230 acres (93 ha) were allotted to the several proprietors of land in this parish. The soil is in general fertile, and the lower grounds afford excellent pasturage for cattle. The surrounding scenery is varied, while the higher grounds afford vistas over the adjacent countryside. Mats are manufactured from the seaweed extracted from the marshy area. [1]

It is in the community of Rhosyr.

St Caffo's Church

EglwysLlangaffo.jpg
Inscribed stones at Llangaffo Church - geograph.org.uk - 1873365.jpg
Left: St Caffo's Church, Llangaffo. Right: Cross marked gravestones in the churchyard.

St Caffo's Church was constructed in 1846 to replace the previous medieval church on the site. The new building includes a number of monuments from the old church, and has a spire which is a prominent local landmark. The churchyard has part of a stone cross dating from the 9th or 10th century, and some gravestones from the 9th to 11th centuries. It is dedicated to St Caffo, a 6th-century martyr who was killed in the vicinity. The church is still in use as part of the Church in Wales, one of four churches in a combined parish. It is a Grade II listed building, a designation given to "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them", [4] in particular because it is regarded as "a mid 19th-century rural church, consistently articulated and detailed in an Early English style". [5] [6]

The lintel of the church's northern doorway consists of a tomb-stone 6 feet (1.8 m) long, bearing a poorly-incised cross, plain and with the arms gradually widened. In the churchyard, there is a mutilated cross on a crude pedestal, now used as a sundial, on the front of which is sculptured a cross with equal limbs, each dilated at the extremity, inscribed within a circle, beneath which are two incised trefoils. The edge of the stone is ornamented with the classical fret seen on the Penmon Priory stones and cross. The carving is defaced and difficult to make out. [7] A wheel head, an early Christian monument, has also been found at the church. The lower half of the wheel is triple-beaded and of Celtic-style, the head contains arm ends in square or hammer shaped style, while the detailing on the cross arms includes raised mouldings. [8]

War Memorial Llangaffo War Memorial Llangaffo.jpg
War Memorial Llangaffo

Grounds

Gravestones with carvings of cross are seen in the churchyard and one of them is of 7th-century vintage. [3] A war memorial in the churchyard commemorates the names of Llangaffo residents who were killed or missing in World War I and World War II. [9]



Landmarks

Bodowyr Burial Chamber Bodowyr Burial Chamber (1) - geograph.org.uk - 937080.jpg
Bodowyr Burial Chamber

In the parish, and to the east of Llangaffo village lies the site of the Bodowyr Burial Chamber, a Neolithic burial chamber made of a few large stacked stones.

The primary school Ysgol Llangaffo ("Llangaffo School"), opened in 1854, [10] was located along the main road in the heart of the village before its closure in 2019, having merged with 3 other schools on the Isle of Anglesey to form a 'super-school' in Ysgol Santes Dwynwen in Newborough. Ysgol Bodorgan, Ysgol Dwyran, and Ysgol Niwbwrch were the other three schools which were closed as part of this merger. [11] The school subsequently went on public sale in 2021 for redevelopment or conversion subject to statutory consents.

Archaeology

Two gold coins of the Emperor Constantine, in a good state of preservation, were found near the church, in the year 1829, and several silver and copper coins of that and other emperors have been found in the parish. [1] Small concentrations of stone have been found around Llangaffo, possibly indicating stone cutter activity that under monastic direction. [8]

Literature

The village of Llangaffo is referenced in an 1841 published biography by William Jones titled Character of the Welsh as a Nation. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newborough, Anglesey</span> Village in Anglesey, Wales

Newborough is a village in the southern corner of the Isle of Anglesey in Wales. It is a part of the Bro Aberffraw electoral ward; to the northwest is Aberffraw, and to the northeast is Llanfairpwll. There is a church in the village, a primary school, and a public institute. Nearby is the Newborough Warren, a forest, beach, and public nature reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodedern</span> Village and community in Anglesey, Wales

Bodedern is a village and community in the west of Anglesey, Wales. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,074, decreasing slightly to 1,051 at the 2011 census. The community includes the settlements of Llanllibio and Pen-llyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanddaniel Fab</span> Village and community in Anglesey, Wales

Llanddaniel Fab is a village and community in the south of Anglesey, Wales. At the 2001 census it had a population of 699, increasing to 776 at the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanidan</span> Community in Anglesey, Wales

Llanidan is a community in the south of Anglesey, Wales which includes the village of Brynsiencyn. The parish is along the Menai Strait, about 4 miles north-east of Caernarfon. The parish church of St Nidan is near the A4080 road, a little to the east of Brynsiencyn. The ruins of an earlier parish church survive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anglesey</span> Island county in Wales

Anglesey is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island and some islets and skerries. The county borders Gwynedd across the Menai Strait to the southeast, and is otherwise surrounded by the Irish Sea. Holyhead is the largest town, and the administrative centre is Llangefni. The county is part of the preserved county of Gwynedd.

Nidan was a Welsh priest and, according to some sources, a bishop, in the 6th and 7th centuries. He is now commemorated as a saint. He was the confessor for the monastery headed by St Seiriol at Penmon, and established a church at what is now known as Llanidan, which are both places on the Welsh island of Anglesey. He is the patron saint of two churches in Anglesey: St Nidan's Church, Llanidan, built in the 19th century, and its medieval predecessor, the Old Church of St Nidan, Llanidan. Midmar Old Kirk in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, is also dedicated to him: Nidan is said to have helped to establish Christianity in that area as a companion of St Kentigern. St Nidan's, Llanidan, has a reliquary dating from the 14th or 16th century, which is said to house his relics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Iestyn's Church, Llaniestyn</span> Church in Anglesey, Wales

St Iestyn's Church, Llaniestyn is a medieval church in Llaniestyn, Anglesey, in Wales. A church is said to have been founded here by St Iestyn in the 7th century, with the earliest parts of the present building dating from the 12th century. The church was extended in the 14th century, with further changes over the coming years. It contains a 12th-century font and a 14th-century memorial stone to Iestyn, from the same workshop as the stone to St Pabo at St Pabo's Church, Llanbabo.

Tyfrydog was a Christian from north-west Wales in the fifth or sixth century, who was later venerated as a saint. He is said to have established a church in Anglesey, and although no part of the original structure remains, the current church is still dedicated to him. A nearby standing stone is said to be the remains of a man who he punished for stealing a bible from the church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Ffinan's Church, Llanffinan</span> Church in Wales

St Ffinan's Church, Llanffinan is a small 19th-century parish church built in the Romanesque revival style, in Anglesey, north Wales. There has been a church in this area, even if not on this precise location, since at least 1254, and 19th-century writers state that St Ffinan established the first church here in the 7th century. The church was rebuilt in 1841, reusing a 12th-century font and 18th-century memorials, as well as the cross at the eastern end of the roof.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Caffo's Church, Llangaffo</span> Church in Wales

St Caffo's Church, Llangaffo is a 19th-century church, in the south of Anglesey, north Wales, about 5 miles (8.0 km) from the county town, Llangefni. It was constructed in 1846 to replace the previous medieval church in the village of Llangaffo. The new building includes a number of monuments from the old church, and has a spire which is a prominent local landmark. The churchyard has part of a stone cross dating from the 9th or 10th century, and some gravestones from the 9th to 11th centuries. It is dedicated to St Caffo, a 6th-century martyr who was killed in the vicinity.

Caffo was a sixth-century Christian in Anglesey, north Wales, who is venerated as a saint and martyr. The son of a king from northern Britain who took shelter in Anglesey, Caffo was a companion of St Cybi, and is mentioned as carrying a red-hot coal in his clothes to Cybi without his clothes getting burnt. After leaving Cybi, Caffo was killed by shepherds in the south of Anglesey, possibly acting in retaliation for insults Caffo's brother had paid to the local ruler. The area where he died has a village, Llangaffo, named after him, as well as the parish church of St Caffo, Llangaffo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Dona's Church, Llanddona</span> Church in Wales

St Dona's Church, Llanddona ) is a small 19th-century parish church in the village of Llanddona, in Anglesey, north Wales. The first church on this site was built in 610. The present building on the site dates from 1873, and was designed by the rector at the time. It reuses earlier material including a decorated 15th-century doorway and a 17th-century bell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Nidan's Church, Llanidan</span> Church in Wales

St Nidan's Church, Llanidan is a 19th-century parish church near the village of Brynsiencyn, in Anglesey, north Wales. Built between 1839 and 1843, it replaced the Old Church of St Nidan, Llanidan, which needed significant repair, providing a place of Anglican worship nearer to the village than the old church. Some items were moved here from the old church, including the 13th-century font, two bells from the 14th and 15th century, and a reliquary thought to hold the remains of St Nidan. The tower at the west end has been described as "top heavy" and looking like "a water tower".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Church of St Nidan, Llanidan</span> Medieval church in Anglesey, Wales

The Old Church of St Nidan, Llanidan is a medieval church in the community of Llanidan, in Anglesey, North Wales, close to the Menai Strait. The first church on the site was established in the 7th century by St Nidan, the confessor of the monastery at Penmon, Anglesey, but the oldest parts of the present structure, now closed and partly ruined, date from the 14th century. In about 1500 the church was enlarged by the addition of a second nave on the north side, separated from the earlier nave by an arcade of six arches. During 1839 till 1843 a new church was built nearby to serve the local community, partly due to the cost of repairing the old church. Much of the building was subsequently demolished, leaving only part of the western end and the central arcade. The decision was condemned at the time by Harry Longueville Jones, a clergyman and antiquarian, who lamented the "melancholy fate" of what he called "one of the largest and most important [churches] in the island of Anglesey". Other appreciative comments have been made about the church both before and after its partial demolition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Llanfair-yn-y-Cwmwd</span> Church in Wales

St Mary's Church, Llanfair-yn-y-Cwmwd is a small medieval parish church near the village of Dwyran, in Anglesey, north Wales. The building probably dates from the 15th century, with some alterations. It contains a 12th-century carved stone font and a 13th-century decorated coffin lid. The bell is inscribed with the year of its casting, 1582. The historian Henry Rowlands was vicar of St Mary's in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Maurice Wilks, who invented the Land Rover, is buried in the churchyard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Edwen's Church, Llanedwen</span> Church in Wales

St Edwen's Church, Llanedwen, is a 19th-century parish church near the Menai Strait, in Anglesey, north Wales. The first church was founded here by St. Edwen in 640, but the present structure dates from 1856 and was designed by Henry Kennedy, the architect of the Diocese of Bangor. It contains some memorials from the 17th and 18th centuries and a reading desk that reuses panel work from the 14th and 17th centuries. The 18th-century historian Henry Rowlands was vicar here, and is buried in the churchyard. The church is on land that forms part of the Plas Newydd estate, home of the family of the Marquess of Anglesey since 1812 and owned by the National Trust. Some of the Marquesses of Anglesey, and some of their employees, are also buried in the churchyard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Michael's Church, Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog</span> Church in Anglesey, Wales

St Michael's Church, Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog, is a former parish church in Anglesey, Wales, which is now closed and in ruins. The structure dates from the 15th century and a chapel was added to the north side in the 17th century. A replacement church was built elsewhere in the parish in 1847, and the old church was closed, partly demolished and abandoned. Some restoration work has taken place in the 21st century and some occasional services have been held.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog</span> Community in Anglesey, Wales

Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog is a community and former ecclesiastical parish in Anglesey, Wales, east of Llangefni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Canna Church, Llangan</span>

St Canna Church is a church in Llangan, in the Vale of Glamorgan, south Wales. Its churchyard cross is a Grade I listed building, listed on 22 July 2003.

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the "Topographical Dictionary of Wales" by Samuel Lewis (1833), the "National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland" (1868), and "Lapidarium walliae: the early inscribed and sculptured stones of Wales" by John Obadiah Westwood (1879).
  1. 1 2 3 "LLANGAFFO". Genuki.org. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  2. UK Census (2011). "Local Area Report – Llangaffo population 2 (W00000195)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Llangaffo, Anglesey". Wales Directory. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  4. What is listing? (PDF). Cadw. 2005. p. 6. ISBN   1-85760-222-6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  5. Cadw. "Church of St Caffo (Grade II) (5508)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  6. "Church in Wales: Benefices". Church in Wales. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  7. Westwood, John Obadiah (1879). Lapidarium walliae: the early inscribed and sculptured stones of Wales (Now in the public domain. ed.). Printed at the University Press for the Cabrian Archaeological Assoc. pp.  186. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  8. 1 2 Nash-Williams, Victor Erle (1950). The early Christian monuments of Wales. Univ. of Wales press. pp. 18, 57. ISBN   9780708300329 . Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  9. "War Memorial Llangaffo". ww2museums.com. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
  10. "Ysgol Llangaffo" (in Welsh). Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  11. Wyn-Williams, Gareth (12 April 2019). "New £5 million Anglesey super school opens its doors". North Wales Live. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  12. Jones, William (1841). Character of the Welsh as a Nation. [[Simpkin and Marshall]. ISBN   9780353894136.