St Fflewin's Church, Llanfflewin
Encyclopedia
St Fflewin's Church, Llanfflewin (sometimes referred to as St Fflewyn's Church, Llanfflewyn) is a small rural church, situated by a farm in Anglesey
, north Wales. The first church on the site is said to have been built by St Fflewin in 630, but the present building has no structural features dating from before the 18th century, although the church has a font from the 14th or 15th century and part of an inscribed medieval gravestone has been reused in a window sill.
The church is still used for worship by the Church in Wales
, and is one of five churches in a combined benefice
. It is a Grade II listed building, a national designation given to "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them", because it is a "simple rural church built on Medieval foundations". A 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey said that it is a "typical, well-preserved rural church and is well worth a visit."
, who came to Britain from Armorica
(present-day northern France) towards the end of the 5th century. He established a Christian site at the location of the present church in 630 (according to the Diocese of Bangor and a 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey), although a 19th-century guide to Wales by the writer Samuel Lewis says that it was sometime early in the 7th century. No part of a building from that period survives. There was a church here by 1254, since it is recorded in the Norwich Taxation of that year. The present building is thought by Cadw
(the Welsh Assembly Government
body responsible for the built heritage of Wales) to be "probably built upon Medieval foundations", albeit that the earliest dateable feature of the structure is from the late 18th century. After some repairs in the early part of the 19th century, St Fflewin's was partially rebuilt ("judiciously", says a 2009 guide to the buildings of north-west Wales) in 1864 and further restored during the 1930s. The Welsh poet and clergyman Morris Williams
(better known by his bardic name "Nicander") was rector
here from 1859 until his death in 1874; he was buried at Llanrhuddlad, one of the other Anglesey churches for which he had responsibility.
The church is isolated, located in the countryside of north Anglesey by a farm, about 1 miles (1.6 km) from Llanrhuddlad, in an area of Anglesey known as Mynydd Mechell. Llanfflewin takes its name from the church: the Welsh word originally meant "enclosure" and then "church", so "Llanfflewin" means "Church of Fflewin". It is set within a raised circular enclosure, with an arched lychgate
(possibly of 17th-century date). It is still in use for worship, and belongs to the Church in Wales
, as one of five churches in the combined benefice
of Llanfechell
with Bodewryd
with Rhosbeirio with Llanfflewin and Llanbadrig
. It is within the deanery
of Twrcelyn, the archdeaconry of Bangor
and the Diocese of Bangor. As of October 2011, the rector is Canon G W Edwards.
and the chancel
. It measures 47 feet 6 inches by 14 feet 9 inches (14.5 by 4.5 m). It is built of rubble masonry
, and the roof is made of slate; there is a gabled bellcote at the west end of the roof. The roof timbers can be seen from the inside. Entrance to the church is through a porch with a rounded arch at the west end of the south wall, and there is a vestry, with one window, at the west end of the north wall.
The windows in the south and north walls are rectangular pairs; the window in the east wall is in the form of a rounded arch, with two lights (sections of window separated by mullion
s). The sill of the window has a fragment of a medieval gravestone (dating from some time after 1300) set into it, inscribed HIC IACET MADOCUS. The church has a "roughly dressed" font with nine sides, dating from the 14th or 15th century. There are a number of slate memorial tablets on the north and south walls from the 18th century. A 1937 survey by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire also recorded a bier
, with the initials "W.W." and the date 1784, and an Elizabethan silver cup with a cover-paten
, the paten having an engraved date of 1574. It also noted a wooden pitch pipe and wooden shovel, both dating from the late 18th century.
) as a Grade II listed building – the lowest of the three grades of listing, designating "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them". It was given this status on 12 May 1970, and has been listed because it is "a simple rural church built on Medieval foundations". Cadw also notes that it retains "the vernacular character of a pre gothic revival church".
Samuel Lewis said that the church, which he described as "a plain edifice", was "beautifully situated near a small lake, and surrounded with pleasing scenery". The Welsh politician and church historian Sir Stephen Glynne
visited the church on 4 September 1867. He said that the church "has been so completely modernised, that it is doubtful whether any original feature remains but the bell-gable and one single light window in the north wall". He said that the font was of "singular design": "octagonal, swelling downwards and each face concave." He also said that the site was "wild and striking." A 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey says that it is "a typical, well-preserved rural church and is well worth a visit."
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...
, north Wales. The first church on the site is said to have been built by St Fflewin in 630, but the present building has no structural features dating from before the 18th century, although the church has a font from the 14th or 15th century and part of an inscribed medieval gravestone has been reused in a window sill.
The church is still used for worship by the Church in Wales
Church 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...
, and is one of five churches in a combined benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
. It is a Grade II listed building, a national designation given to "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them", because it is a "simple rural church built on Medieval foundations". A 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey said that it is a "typical, well-preserved rural church and is well worth a visit."
History and location
St Fflewin, to whom the church is dedicated, was a Christian who was active in the 6th century. He is described as the son of Ithel HaelIthel Hael
Ithel Hael or Ithel Hael o Lydaw was a prince of Armorica who lived in the early part of the sixth century. He was the father of Baglan, Flewyn, Gredifael, Tanwg, Twrog, Tegai, Trillo, Tecwyn and Llechid, saints who accompanied Cadvan to Britain....
, who came to Britain from Armorica
Armorica
Armorica or Aremorica is the name given in ancient times to the part of Gaul that includes the Brittany peninsula and the territory between the Seine and Loire rivers, extending inland to an indeterminate point and down the Atlantic coast...
(present-day northern France) towards the end of the 5th century. He established a Christian site at the location of the present church in 630 (according to the Diocese of Bangor and a 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey), although a 19th-century guide to Wales by the writer Samuel Lewis says that it was sometime early in the 7th century. No part of a building from that period survives. There was a church here by 1254, since it is recorded in the Norwich Taxation of that year. The present building is thought by Cadw
Cadw
-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
(the Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
body responsible for the built heritage of Wales) to be "probably built upon Medieval foundations", albeit that the earliest dateable feature of the structure is from the late 18th century. After some repairs in the early part of the 19th century, St Fflewin's was partially rebuilt ("judiciously", says a 2009 guide to the buildings of north-west Wales) in 1864 and further restored during the 1930s. The Welsh poet and clergyman Morris Williams
Morris Williams
Morris Williams , was a Welsh clergyman and writer, commonly known by his bardic name of Nicander so as to differentiate him from others of the same name....
(better known by his bardic name "Nicander") was rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
here from 1859 until his death in 1874; he was buried at Llanrhuddlad, one of the other Anglesey churches for which he had responsibility.
The church is isolated, located in the countryside of north Anglesey by a farm, about 1 miles (1.6 km) from Llanrhuddlad, in an area of Anglesey known as Mynydd Mechell. Llanfflewin takes its name from the church: the Welsh word originally meant "enclosure" and then "church", so "Llanfflewin" means "Church of Fflewin". It is set within a raised circular enclosure, with an arched lychgate
Lychgate
A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, or as two separate words lych gate, is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard.-Name:...
(possibly of 17th-century date). It is still in use for worship, and belongs to the Church in Wales
Church 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...
, as one of five churches in the combined benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
of Llanfechell
Llanfechell
Llanfechell is a village in Anglesey, in north-west Wales....
with Bodewryd
Bodewryd
Bodewryd is a village in Anglesey, Wales.-St Mary's Church:The village church is St Mary's, Bodewryd, a small medieval church. It is said by the Diocese of Bangor to be the second-smallest church in Anglesey...
with Rhosbeirio with Llanfflewin and Llanbadrig
Llanbadrig
Llanbadrig is a parish in the cwmwd of Talybolion, on the island of Anglesey, north Wales. The parish includes the township of Clygyrog and the little port of Cemaes . The region has extensive quarries of limestone and marble....
. It is within the deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
of Twrcelyn, the archdeaconry of Bangor
Bangor, Gwynedd
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
and the Diocese of Bangor. As of October 2011, the rector is Canon G W Edwards.
Architecture and fittings
The church, which is small and rectangular, has no internal division between the naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
. It measures 47 feet 6 inches by 14 feet 9 inches (14.5 by 4.5 m). It is built of rubble masonry
Rubble masonry
Rubble masonry is rough, unhewn building stone set in mortar, but not laid in regular courses. It may appear as the outer surface of a wall or may fill the core of a wall which is faced with unit masonry such as brick or cut stone....
, and the roof is made of slate; there is a gabled bellcote at the west end of the roof. The roof timbers can be seen from the inside. Entrance to the church is through a porch with a rounded arch at the west end of the south wall, and there is a vestry, with one window, at the west end of the north wall.
The windows in the south and north walls are rectangular pairs; the window in the east wall is in the form of a rounded arch, with two lights (sections of window separated by mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
s). The sill of the window has a fragment of a medieval gravestone (dating from some time after 1300) set into it, inscribed HIC IACET MADOCUS. The church has a "roughly dressed" font with nine sides, dating from the 14th or 15th century. There are a number of slate memorial tablets on the north and south walls from the 18th century. A 1937 survey by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire also recorded a bier
Bier
A bier is a stand on which a corpse, coffin or casket containing a corpse, is placed to lie in state or to be carried to the grave.In Christian burial, the bier is often placed in the centre of the nave with candles surrounding it, and remains in place during the funeral.The bier is a flat frame,...
, with the initials "W.W." and the date 1784, and an Elizabethan silver cup with a cover-paten
Paten
A paten, or diskos, is a small plate, usually made of silver or gold, used to hold Eucharistic bread which is to be consecrated. It is generally used during the service itself, while the reserved hosts are stored in the Tabernacle in a ciborium....
, the paten having an engraved date of 1574. It also noted a wooden pitch pipe and wooden shovel, both dating from the late 18th century.
Assessment
The church has national recognition and statutory protection from alteration as it has been designated by Cadw (on behalf of the National Assembly for WalesNational Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs...
) as a Grade II listed building – the lowest of the three grades of listing, designating "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them". It was given this status on 12 May 1970, and has been listed because it is "a simple rural church built on Medieval foundations". Cadw also notes that it retains "the vernacular character of a pre gothic revival church".
Samuel Lewis said that the church, which he described as "a plain edifice", was "beautifully situated near a small lake, and surrounded with pleasing scenery". The Welsh politician and church historian Sir Stephen Glynne
Sir Stephen Glynne, 9th Baronet
Sir Stephen Richard Glynne, 9th Baronet was a Welsh landowner and Conservative Party politician. He is principally remembered as an assiduous antiquary and student of British church architecture...
visited the church on 4 September 1867. He said that the church "has been so completely modernised, that it is doubtful whether any original feature remains but the bell-gable and one single light window in the north wall". He said that the font was of "singular design": "octagonal, swelling downwards and each face concave." He also said that the site was "wild and striking." A 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey says that it is "a typical, well-preserved rural church and is well worth a visit."