St Twrog's Church, Bodwrog

Last updated

St Twrog's Church, Bodwrog
Bodwrog Church - geograph.org.uk - 152480.jpg
The west and south sides of the church
Isle of Anglesey UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
St Twrog's Church, Bodwrog
Location in Anglesey
53°16′18″N4°24′02″W / 53.271548°N 4.400469°W / 53.271548; -4.400469
OS grid reference SH 400 776
Location Bodwrog, Anglesey
Country Wales, United Kingdom
Denomination Church in Wales
History
Status Church
FoundedLate 15th century
Dedication St Twrog
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designation Grade II*
Designated5 April 1971
Style Medieval
Specifications
Length46 ft (14.0 m)
Width13 ft (4.0 m)
Materials Rubble masonry
Administration
Province Province of Wales
Diocese Diocese of Bangor
Archdeaconry Bangor
Deanery Malltraeth
Parish Llandrygarn with Bodwrog with Heneglwys with Trewalchmai with Llannerch-y-medd
Clergy
Rector Vacant since December 2000

St Twrog's Church is a small rural church at Bodwrog in Anglesey, North Wales. Built in the late 15th century in a medieval style, some alterations have been made but much of the original structure still remains. It has two 15th-century doorways (one later converted into a window) and some 15th-century windows. The bull's head decoration used on the church denotes a connection with the Bulkeleys of Beaumaris, a prominent north Wales family over several centuries. Set in a remote part of the countryside in the middle of Anglesey, it is dedicated to St Twrog, who was active in the late 5th and early 6th centuries. The church's tithes were paid for at least two hundred years to Jesus College, Oxford, which has historically strong links with Wales, and the college at one point built a house for the priest who served St Twrog's and a neighbouring parish.

Contents

The church is still used for worship by the Church in Wales, as one of seven churches in a Ministry Area. It is a Grade II* listed building, a national designation given to "particularly important buildings of more than special interest", [1] in particular because it is regarded as "a good rural late Medieval church". [2] It is built from rubble masonry with a slate roof. The interior is lit by gas lamps.

History and location

The church is in a churchyard in "a remote rural location" on Anglesey, Wales, about 4 miles (6.4 km) from the county town of Llangefni, at the side of a small road between Gwalchmai and Llynfaes. [2] [3] [4] The date of first construction of a Christian building at this location is unknown. The parish takes its name from Twrog, a saint who lived in the late 5th and early 6th centuries, to whom the church is dedicated: the Welsh word bod means "abode" or "dwelling", and "-wrog" is a modified form of the saint's name – i.e. "Twrog's dwelling". [5] [6] One of his brothers, St Gredifael, is commemorated in another Anglesey church, St Gredifael's Church, Penmynydd. [7]

The present church dates from the time of King Henry VII (ruled 1485–1509), when a significant amount of building work took place in Wales. Some more windows were added in the 17th or 18th century, and the church was restored in the mid to late 19th century. [2] The writer Samuel Lewis recorded in 1849 that St Twrog's was attached to St Trygarn's Church, Llandrygarn, with the priest serving the two parishes residing in Llandrygarn. The church tithes had been paid to Jesus College, Oxford (who had built a "neat parsonage-house" in Llandrygarn) since 1648, Lewis said, subject to a small deduction for distribution to the poor of the parish. [8] The tithes were given to the college (which has had strong connections with Wales since its foundation in 1571) by a Dr Wynne, Chancellor of Llandaff Cathedral. [8] [9]

St Twrog's is still in use for worship by the Church in Wales. It is one of seven churches in a group of parishes served by the same priest (Llandrygarn with Bodwrog with Heneglwys with Trewalchmai with Llannerch-y-medd). Other churches in the combined parishes include St Cwyllog, Llangwyllog and St Mary, Llannerch-y-medd. [10] It is within the deanery of Malltraeth, the archdeaconry of Bangor and the Diocese of Bangor. [11] As of 2012, the parish does not have a rector, and the position has been vacant since December 2000. [10]

Architecture and fittings

One of the windows on the north side, with pews to the left and a desk or pulpit to the right View north through the windows of St Twrog's Church - geograph.org.uk - 1017494.jpg
One of the windows on the north side, with pews to the left and a desk or pulpit to the right

The church is built from rubble masonry, dressed with limestone; the roof is made from slate, with a stone bellcote at the west end and a bell dating from 1668. There is no structural division between the nave and chancel, although there is a step and a rail denoting the sanctuary, and overall the church measures about 46 by 13 feet (14.0 by 4.0 m). [2] [4] On the south side of the church, there are two windows and a 15th-century square-framed entrance door, which is at the west end; there are three windows on the north side. The east window and the two easternmost windows on the north and south sides date from the late 15th century. [2] Like the rest of the windows, these are made wholly or mainly from clear glass; none of the windows is made entirely of stained glass. [3] The east window has three long narrow lights (sections of window separated by mullions or tracery) each with an ogee (double arc shaped) curve at the top, topped with eight smaller lights arranged with four in the centre. The other two 15th-century windows are set in square frames and have pairs of lights headed with cinquefoils (a five leaf pattern). The rectangular windows in the middle of the north and south walls were added in the 17th or 18th century, and have pairs of lights. [2] The westernmost window on the north side is a converted 15th-century door; it bears designs of a leaf pattern on one side and three bull's heads on the other. The three bull's heads pattern is associated with the Bulkeley family of Beaumaris, who were prominent and influential landowners, in Anglesey and elsewhere in north Wales, from the 15th to the 19th centuries. [2] [12] In 1500, about the time that the church was rebuilt, Richard Bulkeley was Archdeacon of Anglesey and so would have been involved in the work here, and is likely to have contributed towards the cost. A bull's head is carved into a stone above the doorway. [2]

The roof dates from the 19th century and the supporting woodwork structure can be seen from inside the church. [2] The church, which is lit by gas lamps, contains box pews in the nave, and a panelled reading desk with a matching pulpit, one on each side in the sanctuary. [2] [13] Cream paint has been used for the pews, pulpit and reading desk. [3] There are some 18th-century memorial tablets on the south wall of the nave. [2] A 1937 survey by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire noted an oak collecting shovel dated 1733, a silver cup dated 1773 and a font of uncertain date. [4]

Assessment

The church has national recognition and statutory protection from alteration as it has been designated as a Grade II* listed building  – the second-highest of the three grades of listing, designating "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". [1] It was given this status on 5 April 1971, and has been listed because it is regarded as "a good rural late Medieval church". Cadw (the Welsh Assembly Government body responsible for the built heritage of Wales and the inclusion of Welsh buildings on the statutory lists) also notes that the church has "a simple traditional character", and that it retains "many original features." [2]

Writing in 1862, the clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones said that the east window was similar to windows in the south aisle of St Cybi's Church, Holyhead. [14] A 2009 guide to the buildings of the region also comments upon the east window, saying that it was "surprisingly grand". [13] A 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey says that St Twrog's is in "an elevated spot in a remote rural location." It notes that the east window was "much weathered", but that overall the building "appears to be in fairly good condition." [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaumaris</span> Settlement in Wales

Beaumaris is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, of which it is the former county town of Anglesey. It is located at the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey from the coast of North Wales. At the 2021 census, its population was 1,121. The community includes Llanfaes.

<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 sections are from the 15th century, with an unusual annex. 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, Bodewryd</span> Church in Wales

St Mary's Church, Bodewryd is a small medieval church in the hamlet of Bodewryd, in Anglesey, north Wales. The date of construction is unknown, but there was a church on this site in 1254 and the earliest feature to which a date can be given is a doorway in a 15th-century style dating to around 1500. When the church was restored in 1867 after being struck by lightning, stained glass with Islamic-influenced patterns was included in the windows, a requirement of Lord Stanley of Alderley, the church's benefactor, who was a convert to Islam.

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

St Mary's Church, Rhodogeidio is a small medieval church, dating from the 15th century, near Llannerch-y-medd, in Anglesey, north Wales. It served as a chapel of ease to another church in the area, St Ceidio's. Some restoration work was carried out in the 19th century, but St Mary's has since fallen into disuse and is now largely in ruins.

<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 Peirio's Church, Rhosbeirio</span> Church in Wales

St Peirio's Church is a small disused medieval church, in Rhosbeirio, Anglesey, north Wales. It is unclear when a church was first established on this site, although it has been said that this happened in about 605. The current structure, which may date from the 15th century, has been restored in the 18th and 19th centuries. It ceased being used for services some years ago and has been boarded up.

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

St Ceidio's Church, Rhodogeidio is a rural 19th-century church near Llannerch-y-medd, in Anglesey, north Wales. It was built using materials from the 14th-century church that previously stood on the site, which has been used for Christian worship since some time in the 7th century. The present building, which contains an east window dating from the 14th century and a 15th-century font, is no longer used for services, but has been looked after by local people.

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

St Tyfrydog's Church, Llandyfrydog is a small medieval church, in Llandyfrydog, Anglesey, north Wales. The date of establishment of a church on this site is unknown, but one 19th-century Anglesey historian says that it was about 450. The oldest parts of the present building are dated to about 1400, with the chancel dating from the late 15th or early 16th century. It is built from rough, small, squared stones, dressed with limestone. One of the windows on the south side is raised to illuminate the pulpit, a decision that in the eyes of one 19th-century commentator "disfigures the building."

<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 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 Gallgo's Church, Llanallgo</span> Church in Wales

St Gallgo's Church, Llanallgo is a small church near the village of Llanallgo, on the east coast of Anglesey, north Wales. The chancel and transepts, which are the oldest features of the present building, date from the late 15th century, but there has been a church on the site since the 6th or early 7th century, making it one of the oldest Christian sites in Anglesey. Some restoration and enlargement took place during the 19th century.

<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 Beuno's Church, Aberffraw</span> Church in Wales

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 royal court in Aberffraw, as part of the Kingdom of Gwynedd. 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.

<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 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 Trygarn's Church, Llandrygarn</span> Church

St Trygarn's Church is a Church in Wales parish church in the Diocese of Bangor which covers its location at Llandrygarn, Anglesey, Wales. It was built in the 13th century and is a Grade II listed building. The church is the sole monument in Llandrygarn.

References

  1. 1 2 What is listing? (PDF). Cadw. 2005. p. 6. ISBN   1-85760-222-6.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Cadw. "Church of St Twrog (5279)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 27 January 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Jones, Geraint I. L. (2006). Anglesey Churches. Carreg Gwalch. p. 37. ISBN   1-84527-089-4.
  4. 1 2 3 Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire (1968) [1937]. "Bodwrog". An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Anglesey. Her Majesty's Stationery Office. p. 20.
  5. "Glossary of Welsh origins of place names in Britain (A to B)". Ordnance Survey. 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2011.
  6. Llwyd, Angharad (2007) [1833]. A History of the Island of Mona. Llansadwrn, Anglesey: Llyfrau Magma. p. 94. ISBN   1-872773-73-7.
  7. "Cash boost to restore Tudor dynasty church on Anglesey". BBC News Online. 29 July 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  8. 1 2 Lewis, Samuel (1849). "Bôdwrog (Bôd-Twrog)". A Topographical Dictionary of Wales . Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  9. "The Welsh College". Jesus College, Oxford. Retrieved 22 February 2011.
  10. 1 2 "Church in Wales: Benefices". Church in Wales . Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  11. "Deanery of Malltraeth: St Twrog, Bodwrog". Church in Wales. Retrieved 27 January 2011.
  12. Richards, Thomas (1959). "Bulkeley family, Anglesey". Dictionary of Welsh Biography . National Library of Wales . Retrieved 19 January 2011.
  13. 1 2 Haslam, Richard; Orbach, Julian; Voelcker, Adam (2009). "Anglesey". The Buildings of Wales: Gwynedd. Yale University Press. p. 117. ISBN   978-0-300-14169-6.
  14. Longueville Jones, Harry (1862). "Mona Mediaeva No. XXVII". Archaeologia Cambrensis. 3rd. VIII. Cambrian Archaeological Association: 119. Retrieved 28 January 2011.