St Enghenedl's Church, Llanynghenedl | |
---|---|
Location in Anglesey | |
53°17′56″N4°31′37″W / 53.299027°N 4.526968°W | |
OS grid reference | SH316809 |
Location | Llanynghenedl, Anglesey |
Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
Previous denomination | Church in Wales |
History | |
Status | Church |
Founded | c.620 |
Dedication | Enghenedl |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Demolished |
Architect(s) | Henry Kennedy (1862) |
Completed | 1862, replacing a 13th/14th-century church |
Demolished | 1988 |
Specifications | |
Length | 43 ft 6 in (13.3 m) |
Width | 15 ft 6 in (4.7 m) |
St Enghenedl's Church, Llanynghenedl, is a former parish church in Anglesey, north Wales, dedicated to the son of a 6th-century King of Powys. According to the 19th-century antiquarian Angharad Llwyd, the first church in Llanynghenedl was erected in about 620. A new church was erected in 1862, replacing a building that the 19th-century clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones noted as dating in part from the late 13th or early 14th century, based on the decorations on the south doorway. The church later fell into disuse as a result of the growth of the nearby village of Valley and the church there. In 1988, St Enghenedl's was dismantled and re-erected as an extension to St Mihangel's, Llanfihangel yn Nhowyn, so that St Mihangel's could serve as the church for RAF Valley. The former churchyard of St Enghenedl's is still visible but is now overgrown.(The churchyard is being cared for and no longer overgrown 2020 update)
The site of the former St Enghenedl's Church is in the village of Llanynghenedl, in Anglesey, north Wales, in the north-west of the island about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of the port town of Holyhead. [1] Little is known about Enghenedl, the saint to whom the church was dedicated. He was one of the sons of Cynan Garwyn, King of Powys in the late 6th century, and a brother of his successor, Selyf ap Cynan or Selyf Sarffgadau. [2] [3] This is the only church recorded as being dedicated to Enghenedl, whose feast day was celebrated on Quinquagesima (the Sunday before Ash Wednesday). [3] The village takes its name from the church; the Welsh word llan originally meant "enclosure" and then "church", and "‑ynghenedl" is a variant of the saint's name. [4]
According to the 19th-century antiquarian Angharad Llwyd, it is said that the first church was built here in about 620. By the time she was writing, the church was attached to the parish of St Machraeth's Church, Llanfachraeth. [5] St Enghenedl's was rebuilt in 1862 by Henry Kennedy, the architect of the Diocese of Bangor. Another church was subsequently built in the parish, in the village of Valley. As Valley grew, St Enghenedl's declined in use and it eventually closed. It was dismantled in 1988 and rebuilt as an extension to St Mihangel's Church, Llanfihangel yn Nhowyn, so that it could serve as the church for RAF Valley. St Enghenedl's was re-erected with its west end adjoining the west end of St Mihangel's, which had also been built by Kennedy in 1862. The old east window of St Enghenedl's now faces west, and the bellcote is in the middle of the roof. [6] The churchyard, gravestones, and lychgate of St Enghenedl's remain in their original location, but the churchyard is now overgrown. [7]
Writing in 1862 (but before Kennedy's rebuilding), the clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones recorded that the church was 40 by 14 feet (12.2 by 4.3 m) internally, divided by some woodwork into a nave and chancel. Judging by the decoration he considered that the south doorway dated from the late 13th or early 14th century. He also noted that the 12th-century font had an ornamental design similar to other fonts elsewhere in Anglesey. The east window had two lights (sections of window separated by stone mullions), and was similar to that of St Ylched's Church, Llechylched (another Anglesey church that no longer exists). [8]
A 1937 survey of Kennedy's rebuilt church by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire said that it was formed from a continuous nave and chancel, measuring in total 431⁄2 by 151⁄2 feet (13.3 by 4.7 m). The church, which was at that time in good condition, was entered through a porch on the south side, and there was a vestry on the north side. As well as the font, the church contained some 18th-century memorials. [1] The font is now in the south chapel of St Cybi's Church, Holyhead. [9]
A survey of church plate within the Bangor diocese in 1906 recorded a silver chalice, 7+5⁄8 inches (just over 19 cm) tall, with the Chester date mark for 1724–25. It was inscribed with the names of the vicar (Thomas Vincent) and the two churchwardens (Griffith Edward and Owen Hughes), and the year 1724. It was described as resembling "an inverted bell, standing on a stem". [10] There was also an accompanying plain paten cover, 3+5⁄8 inches (just over 9 cm) in diameter. Both bore the maker's mark of William Richardson, the letters "Ri" in a square shield below a crescent. [10] The paten also had the mark of a leopard's head, indicating that it had been assayed in London. [10] [11]
Angharad Llwyd described the church in 1833 as "a lofty but small edifice", adding that several parts "display marks of very great antiquity." [5] Harry Longueville Jones said that its size made it "one of the least considerable" of the churches in Anglesey. [8] The Welsh politician and church historian Sir Stephen Glynne visited the church in July 1873. He said that it was a small church with "some small rude (rood)windows". [12]
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.
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.
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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.
St Deiniol's Church, Llanddaniel Fab, is a small 19th-century parish church in the centre of Llanddaniel Fab, a village in Anglesey, north Wales. The first church in this location is said to have been established by St Deiniol Fab in 616. He was the son of St Deiniol, the first Bishop of Bangor. The current building, which is in Early English style, incorporates some material and fittings from an earlier church on the site, including the font and an 18th-century memorial in the porch. The vestry door has medieval jambs and the keystone of its arch, which is also medieval, is a carved human face. Some parts of the nave walls may also come from a previous building here.
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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.
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