Llangaffo
Encyclopedia
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 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 1590 acres (643.5 ha).
and 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Llangefni
. It is in the vicinity of the North Wales Coast Line
, although the nearests 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
. 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 (93.1 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.
, 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", in particular because it is regarded as "a mid 19th-century rural church, consistently articulated and detailed in an Early English style".
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. 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.
and World War II
.
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, in north-west Wales. It lies along the B4419 and B4421 roads, north of Dwyran
Dwyran
Dwyran is a village in Anglesey, in north-west Wales....
, south of Gaerwen
Gaerwen
Gaerwen is a village on the island of Anglesey, Wales. It is located in the south of the island 4 miles west of Llanfairpwllgwyngyll and 4 miles Northeast of Llangefni...
and northwest of Llanidan
Llanidan
Llanidan is a parish in south-west Anglesey, Wales which includes the village of Brynsiencyn. The parish is located along the Menai Strait, approximately 4 miles north-east of Caernarfon . The parish church is located near the A4080 highway, a little to the east of Brynsiencyn...
. It is named after Caffo
Caffo
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...
, a 6th-century saint. A church, St Caffo's Church
St Caffo's Church, Llangaffo
St Caffo's Church, Llangaffo is a 19th-century church, in the south of Anglesey, north Wales, about 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,...
, is named after him. A war memorial, a village hall and a 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 1590 acres (643.5 ha).
Geography
Llangaffo is a parish in the hundred of Menai, county Anglesey. It is located 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of CaernarfonCaernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
and 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Llangefni
Llangefni
Llangefni is the county town of Anglesey in Wales and contains the principal offices of the Isle of Anglesey County Council. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of Llangefni was 4,662 people and it is the second largest settlement on the island...
. It is in the vicinity of the North Wales Coast Line
North Wales Coast Line
The North Wales Coast Line is the railway line from Crewe to Holyhead. Virgin Trains consider their services along it to be a spur of the West Coast Main Line. The first section from Crewe to Chester was built by the Chester and Crewe Railway and absorbed by the Grand Junction Railway shortly...
, although the nearests station (Gaerwen railway station
Gaerwen railway station
Gaerwen railway station was situated on the North Wales Coast Line, serving as the junction for the Anglesey Central Railway line to Amlwch. The station closed to passengers in 1966, but the adjoining freight yard remained open for coal and fertiliser traffic before it also closed in 1984.There...
) 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
Menai Strait
The Menai Strait is a narrow stretch of shallow tidal water about long, which separates the island of Anglesey from the mainland of Wales.The strait is bridged in two places - the main A5 road is carried over the strait by Thomas Telford's elegant iron suspension bridge, the first of its kind,...
. The Snowdonian mountains
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is a region in north Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three National Parks in Wales, in 1951.-Name and extent:...
terminate in the west with the abrupt precipices of Yr Eifl
Yr Eifl
Yr Eifl is a mountain on the north coast of the Llŷn peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales.It has three summits, each quite separate from the others, and this is often supposed to be the source of the English name The Rivals...
. 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
Malltraeth Marsh
Malltraeth Marsh is a large marsh area in Anglesey, North Wales, located northeast of Malltraeth village, north of Llangaffo and south of Rhostrehwfa...
and Corsddeuga, under the provisions of which 230 acres (93.1 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.
St Caffo's Church
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 WalesChurch in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
, 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", in particular because it is regarded as "a mid 19th-century rural church, consistently articulated and detailed in an Early English style".
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. 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.
Grounds
Gravestones with carvings of cross are seen in the churchyard and one of them is of 7th-century vintage. A war memorial in the churchyard, commemorates the names of Llangaffo residents who were killed or missing in World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.