St Beuno's Church, Aberffraw

Last updated

St Beuno's Church, Aberffraw
St. Beuno's Church, Aberffraw - geograph.org.uk - 156921.jpg
A view from the south-east
Isle of Anglesey UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
St Beuno's Church, Aberffraw
Location in Anglesey
53°11′27″N4°28′00″W / 53.190715°N 4.466638°W / 53.190715; -4.466638
OS grid reference SH 353 688
Location Aberffraw, Anglesey
Country Wales, United Kingdom
Denomination Church in Wales
History
Status Church
Founded7th century
Founder(s) St Beuno
Dedication St Beuno
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designation Grade II*
Designated5 April 1971
Architect(s) Thomas Jones (1840 restoration)
Henry Kennedy (1868 rebuilding)
Style Late Decorated
Specifications
Length30 ft (9.1 m) (nave)
Nave width16 ft (4.9 m)
Other dimensions25 by 16 ft (7.6 by 4.9 m) (chancel)
Materials Rubble masonry dressed with sandstone; slate roof
Administration
Province Province of Wales
Diocese Diocese of Bangor
Archdeaconry Bangor
Deanery Malltraeth
Parish Trefdraeth with Aberffraw with Llangadwaladr with Cerrigceinwen
Clergy
Vicar(s) Vacant [1]

St Beuno's Church, Aberffraw is a 12th-century parish church in Anglesey, north Wales. A church was established in Aberffraw in the 7th century by St Beuno, who became the abbot of Clynnog Fawr, Gwynedd. St Beuno's may have been used as a royal chapel during the early Middle Ages, as the princes of Gwynedd had a court in Aberffraw. The oldest parts of the church date from the 12th century, although it was considerably enlarged in the 16th century when a second nave was built alongside the existing structure, with the wall in between replaced by an arcade of four arches. Restoration work in 1840 uncovered a 12th-century arch in the west wall, which may have been the original chancel arch or a doorway to a western tower that has been lost. The church also has a 13th-century font, some memorials from the 18th century, and two 18th-century copper collecting shovels.

Contents

The church is still used for worship by the Church in Wales, one of four in a combined parish. As of 2013, the parish is without an incumbent priest. St Beuno's is a Grade II* listed building, a national designation given to "particularly important buildings of more than special interest", [2] in particular because it is a "rare Anglesey example of a double-naved church", with elements including the "unusually fine" 12th-century arch. [3] A 2009 guide to the buildings of the region says that St Beuno's contains "some of the most significant Romanesque work on the island". [4]

History and location

St Beuno's Church is in Aberffraw on the south-west coast of Anglesey, north Wales. It is set within a large churchyard in the south-west of the village, on the south side of Church Street. [3] [5] The first church community was established in Aberffraw in the 7th century by St Beuno (a Welsh holy man who became the abbot of Clynnog Fawr, on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd). [5] No part of a structure from that period survives; the oldest parts of the present building are the south wall of the nave and some parts of the west wall, which are from the 12th century. [3]

Some work was carried out in the late 13th or the 14th century, which is the period ascribed to the doorway on the south side. [3] [4] The church was enlarged in the 16th century when a second aisle was erected on the north side of the church, running the length of the building, with an arcade of four arches added between the old and new parts of the building. [5] [6] Some restoration was undertaken in 1840, under the Chester-based architect Thomas Jones. [3] During this work, the rector Hugh Wynne Jones discovered a blocked 12th-century arch set into the west wall. [5] It is thought by some writers to be the original chancel arch, [3] [5] but it has also been suggested that it was the entrance to a tower at the west end, which was said in 1833 to have once existed. [4]

In 1868, the chancel and north aisle walls were rebuilt, a porch was added on the south side and a vestry added on the north side in place of one within the north aisle that Thomas Jones had created in 1840. [3] [5] The work was carried out by Henry Kennedy, the architect of the Diocese of Bangor. [4]

Aberffraw became the principal court of the princes of Gwynedd in the early Middle Ages, and St Beuno's may have been used as a royal chapel. [4] [5] It is still used for worship by the Church in Wales, and is one of four churches in the combined benefice of Trefdraeth with Aberffraw with Llangadwaladr with Cerrigceinwen. [1] It is within the deanery of Malltraeth, the archdeaconry of Bangor and the Diocese of Bangor. [7] [ dead link ] As of 2013, there is no incumbent priest in the parish. [1] [ dead link ]

Architecture and fittings

The church is built in Late Decorated style from rubble masonry dressed with sandstone, with rendering on the outside of the wall at the west end. Each wall has an external buttress in the centre. The gabled roofs above the nave and north aisle are made of slate with stone copings; there is a stone bellcote with two bells at the west end between the two gables. [3] Both bells are dated 1896 and inscribed with the name "Charles Carr-Smethwick"; they are hung one above the other rather than side by side. [3] [5] There is a stone cross on top of the bellcote and each gable. [3]

St Beuno's is entered through the porch in the south-west corner of the nave, which leads to an inner doorway set in a pointed arch. [3] The 19th-century vestry is reached through a doorway in the north-west corner of the church. [6] The nave, which measures 30 by 16 feet (9.1 by 4.9 m), and the north aisle each have roofs of 6 bays with exposed rafters. The central arcade has four arches supported by octagonal piers. The two arches to the east are to the north side of the chancel, which is slightly smaller than the nave at 25 by 16 feet (7.6 by 4.9 m); the other two are on the north side of the nave. [3] [6] The reset 12th-century arch in the west wall is decorated with chevrons and the heads of 25 rams and bulls. [3] [4] There is no structural division between the nave and the chancel, but the south sanctuary (at the east end of the chancel) is raised by two steps and is marked out by a communion rail. The sanctuary floor is decorated with encaustic tiles, and panelling has been placed behind the altar as a reredos. The sanctuary at the east end of the north aisle also has two steps leading up to it, but its floor is wooden. The altar in the north sanctuary is from the early part of the 20th century, and has a copper panel depicting the Last Supper. [3]

The windows in the north and south walls are set in square frames, and are either two or three lights (sections of window separated by mullions) decorated with tracery at the top; [3] they date from Kennedy's work in 1868. [4] The window at the eastern end of the south wall has three lights with tracery, set in a pointed arch frame with a plain hoodmould around it. The two windows at the west end have single lights topped with tracery; the windows at the east end have three lights, tracery and hoodmoulds. [3] Five of the windows, including the main east window, have stained glass by the London artist E. R. Suffling; the east window in the north aisle, by C. A. Gibbs (1849) depicts the Good Samaritan. [4]

The large octagonal font dates from the 13th century. [4] [6] The south side of the church has memorials from the 18th century to Henry Morris, Rector of Llanfachraeth, and his sons Richard and Owen, and also some 19th-century memorials. [3] A survey in 1937 by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire also noted a memorial to Hugh Wynne, who died in 1714: he was Chancellor of Bangor Cathedral and rector of Aberffraw and Trefdraeth. [6] Two copper collecting shovels with wooden handles were given to St Beuno's in 1777 by Hugh Williams, the rector. [3] [6]

A survey of church plate within the Bangor diocese in 1906 recorded a plain silver chalice dated 1866–67, and a silver paten with an inscription recording that it was a gift from Sir Arthur Owen in 1753. The author commented that the nearby church of St Cadwaladr, Llangadwaladr had an "exactly similar dish" from the same donor. [8] He also noted that church records from 1793, 1801 and 1808 showed that a silver chalice belonging to the church had been lost, as had a pewter paten and flagon. [8]

Churchyard

Against the west boundary of the churchyard are situated the Commonwealth war graves of a Royal Welsh Fusiliers soldier and two merchant seamen of World War I. [9]

Assessment

A view of the northern side of the church Eglwys St Beuno Church, Aberffraw - geograph.org.uk - 1027574.jpg
A view of the northern side of the church

The church is a Grade II* listed building – the second-highest of the three grades of listing, designating "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". [2] It was given this status on 5 April 1971, and has been listed because it is "a rare Anglesey example of a double-naved church". [3] Enlargement by adding a second nave was not as common in Anglesey as elsewhere in Wales: St Beuno's is one of three examples on the island (the others being the old church of St Nidan, Llanidan and St Cwyfan's, Llangwyfan). [10] Cadw (the Welsh Government body responsible for the built heritage of Wales) notes that while St Beuno's is "largely of late Medieval character", it retains "significant elements of a much earlier building including an unusually fine 12th-century chancel arch." [3] It also comments that restorations have respected the "predominantly 16th-century character" of the church. [3]

Writing in 1846, the clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones said that "the whole edifice has been lately repaired, new-roofed, and in various respects altered, so that some of its original features are now scarcely to be conjectured." [11] He compared the arches in the arcade to those of two other churches in the vicinity, St Cwyfan's and St Morhaiarn's, and suggested they were both the work of the same architect. He also said that the doorway (as he described the arch in the west wall) was "richly ornamented", and commented that it had been "most judiciously uncovered" during the 1840 repairs. [11]

The Welsh politician and church historian Sir Stephen Glynne visited the church in September 1848. He said that parts of the church were "late and poor", the roofs were "poor and open" and the woodcarving was "inferior". [12] In 1849, the writer Samuel Lewis described the church as an "ancient structure", and noted in particular its two "spacious parallel aisles". [13]

A 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey comments that the church has a long history and "is an interesting one to view". [5] A 2009 guide to the buildings of the region says that the church, which it describes as a "wide rectangle", contains "some of the most significant Romanesque work on the island". [4] The memorial to Henry Morris is described as "beautifully lettered". [4]

Related Research Articles

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

St Pabo's Church, Llanbabo is a medieval church in Llanbabo, in Anglesey, North Wales. Much of the church dates to the 12th century, and it is regarded as a good example of a church of its period that has retained many aspects of its original fabric. The church houses a tombstone slab from the 14th century, depicting a king with crown and sceptre, bearing the name of Pabo Post Prydain, the reputed founder of the church. However, there is no evidence that Pabo, a 5th-century prince, lived in the area and the tradition that he founded the church has little supporting basis.

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

St Cristiolus's Church, Llangristiolus is a medieval church near the village of Llangristiolus, in Anglesey, north Wales. The village, about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the building, takes its name from the church. Reputedly founded by St Cristiolus in 610, the present building dates from the 12th and 13th centuries. Alterations were made in the 16th century, when the large east window in Perpendicular style was added to the chancel – a window which has been described by one guide to the buildings of north Wales as "almost too big to fit" in the wall. Some restoration work took place in the mid-19th century, when further windows were added and the chancel largely rebuilt.

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

St Mary's Church, Tal-y-llyn is a medieval church near Aberffraw in Anglesey, north Wales. It was originally a chapel of ease for the parish church of St Peulan's, Llanbeulan, but the township that it once served, Tal-y-llyn, no longer exists. It was declared a redundant church in the early 1990s, and has been in the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches since 1999. Services are held once per month during part of the year.

<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.

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

St Cwyllog's Church, Llangwyllog, is a medieval church near Llangwyllog, in Anglesey, north Wales. St Cwyllog founded a church here in the 6th century, although the exact date is unknown. The existence of a church here was recorded in 1254 and parts of the present building may date from around 1200. Other parts are from the 15th century, with an unusual annexe added in the 16th century. The church contains some 18th-century fittings, including a rare Georgian three-decker pulpit and reading desk.

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

St Mary's Church, Pentraeth is a small medieval parish church in the village of Pentraeth, in Anglesey, north Wales. The date of construction is unknown, but is probably from some time between the 12th to 14th centuries. A church dedicated to St Mary was recorded here in 1254, but there is a tradition that there was an older church dedicated to St Geraint, an early British saint. Some medieval stonework remains in three walls of the building. A chapel was added to the south side in the 16th or 17th century. The church was altered and refurbished during the 19th century, including an extensive rebuilding by Henry Kennedy, the architect for the Diocese of Bangor, in 1882. St Mary's is still used for worship by the Church in Wales, and is one of three churches in a combined parish. Its conservation is specifically included in the aims of a Chester-based charity that promotes health and the arts in Anglesey and the north-west of England.

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

St Mary's Church, Llanfair Mathafarn Eithaf is a small medieval church in Anglesey, north Wales. The earliest parts of the building, including the nave and the north doorway, date from the 14th century. Other parts, including the chancel and the east window, date from the 15th century. It is associated with the Welsh poet and clergyman Goronwy Owen, who was born nearby and served as curate here. He later travelled to America to teach at The College of William & Mary, Virginia.

<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.

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

St Caian's Church, Tregaian, also known as St Caean's Church, Tregaean, is a small medieval church dating from the 14th century in Anglesey, north Wales. It is dedicated to St Caian, a Christian from the 5th or 6th century about whom little is known. The building contains a late 14th-century east window and a late 15th-century doorway. The churchyard contains the grave of William ap Howel, who died in 1581 at the age of 105, leaving over forty children between the ages of 8 and 89 and over three hundred living descendants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Beuno's Church, Trefdraeth</span> Church in Wales, UK

St Beuno's Church, Trefdraeth is the medieval parish church of Trefdraeth, a hamlet in Anglesey, north Wales. Although one 19th-century historian recorded that the first church on this location was reportedly established in about 616, no part of any 7th-century structure survives; the oldest parts of the present building date are from the 13th century. Alterations were made in subsequent centuries, but few of them during the 19th century, a time when many other churches in Anglesey were rebuilt or were restored.

<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 Edern's Church, Bodedern</span> Church in Wales

St Edern's Church, Bodedern is a medieval parish church in the village of Bodedern, in Anglesey, north Wales. Although St Edern established a church in the area in the 6th century, the oldest parts of the present building date from the 14th century. Subsequent alterations include the addition of some windows in the 15th century, and a chancel, transept and porch in the 19th century, when the nave walls were largely rebuilt. Stained glass was also inserted into the windows of the chancel and transept.

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

St Eugrad's Church, Llaneugrad is an isolated church near the village of Marian-glas, in Anglesey, north Wales. A church was supposedly founded here by St Eugrad in about 605, although the earliest parts of the present structure are the nave, chancel and chancel arch, which date from the 12th century. A side chapel was added to the north in the 16th century, and some moderate restoration work was carried out in the 19th century. It contains a 12th-century font, a 13th-century carved stone depicting the crucifixion, and a memorial to one of the officers killed when the Royal Charter sank off Anglesey in 1859.

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

St Mary's Church, Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy is a medieval parish church in the north-west of Anglesey, north Wales. The date of foundation of the church, which is in the village of Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy, is unknown, but the oldest parts date from the 11th or 12th century. It has twice been enlarged: in the 15th century, when the chancel was rebuilt, and in the 16th century, when a chapel was added to the south of the chancel, separated by three arches. The tower at the west end is from the 17th century. A south porch of unknown date has been converted into a vestry, and the church is now entered through the tower.

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

St Cynfarwy's Church is a medieval parish church in Llechgynfarwy, Anglesey, north Wales. The first church in the vicinity was established by St Cynfarwy 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.

<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 Ceinwen's Church, Cerrigceinwen</span> Church in Wales

St Ceinwen's Church, Cerrigceinwen, is a former parish church in the countryside of central Anglesey, north Wales. The present building dates from 1860, although the site has been used for worship since at least the 7th century. The doorway reuses some old carved gravestones, one from the 9th to 11th centuries, and another from the 12th century. The church grounds contain a well, once thought to have healing properties. The church and the well are both named after St Ceinwen, an early Celtic female saint.

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

St Peter's Church, Llanbedrgoch, is a small medieval parish church near the village of Llanbedrgoch in Anglesey, north Wales. The oldest parts of the building date from the 15th century; it was extended in the 17th century and restored twice in the 19th century. The doorway is decorated with carvings of two human heads, one wearing a mitre. The church contains a reading desk made from 15th-century bench ends, one carved with a mermaid holding a mirror and comb.

<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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Church in Wales: Benefices". Church in Wales . Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  2. 1 2 What is listing? (PDF). Cadw. 2005. p. 6. ISBN   1-85760-222-6.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Cadw. "Church of St. Beuno (5270)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Haslam, Richard; Orbach, Julian; Voelcker, Adam (2009). "Anglesey". The Buildings of Wales: Gwynedd. Yale University Press. pp. 91–92. ISBN   978-0-300-14169-6.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Jones, Geraint I. L. (2006). Anglesey Churches. Carreg Gwalch. p. 29. ISBN   1-84527-089-4.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire (1968) [1937]. "Aberffraw". An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Anglesey. Her Majesty's Stationery Office. p. 1.
  7. "Deanery of Malltraeth: St Beuno, Aberffraw". Church in Wales. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  8. 1 2 Jones, E. Alfred (1906). The church plate of the Diocese of Bangor. Bemrose and Sons Ltd. p. 3.
  9. CWGC Cemetery report, breakdown obtained from casualty record.
  10. Hughes, Harold (December 1930). "The Ancient Churches of Anglesey". Archaeologia Cambrensis. Cambrian Archaeological Association. LXXXV (Part II): 259.
  11. 1 2 Longueville Jones, Harry (January 1846). "Mona Mediaeva No. I". Archaeologia Cambrensis . Cambrian Archaeological Association. I: 61–63. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  12. Glynne, Sir Stephen (1900). "Notes on the Older Churches of the Four Welsh Dioceses". Archaeologia Cambrensis. 5th. Cambrian Archaeological Association. XVII: 85–86. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  13. Lewis, Samuel (1849). "Aberfraw". A Topographical Dictionary of Wales . Retrieved 22 June 2010.