St Tyfrydog's Church, Llandyfrydog
Encyclopedia
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 (such as the nave
and the chancel
arch) 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."
According to local tradition, a standing stone about 1 miles (1.6 km) away is the petrified remains of a man who stole a bible from the church and was punished by St Tyfrydog as a result. The Welsh historian Gerald of Wales said that when the Norman lord Hugh of Montgomery
was putting down the Welsh revolt led by Gruffydd ap Cynan
in 1098, he kept his dogs in the church. The dogs had gone mad by the morning, and Montgomery himself was killed within a week.
The church is still in use for worship, as part of the Church in Wales
, as one of four churches in a combined parish. It is a Grade II* listed building, a national designation given to "particularly important buildings of more than special interest", in particular because it is a "good Medieval rural church which retains much of its Medieval fabric". The circular churchyard walls and an 18th-century sundial in the churchyard have also been given listed building status.
in Anglesey
, north Wales. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) from the county town of Llangefni
. Llandyfrydog takes its name from the church: the Welsh word originally meant "enclosure" and then "church", and "-dyfrydog" is a modified form of the saint's name.
The 19th-century Anglesey historian Angharad Llwyd
wrote that a church was supposed to have been first built here around 450; Samuel Lewis, writing in 1849, said that the original church was established by St Tyfyrdog himself. An upright stone about 4 feet (1.2 m) high, which stands in a field about 1 miles (1.6 km) from the village, is known as "the thief of Dyfrydog". It is said by local tradition to be a man turned into stone by St Tyfyrdog for stealing the church's bible; the lump near the top of the stone is said to be the sack on the man's shoulder.
In his 1191 Itinerarium Cambriae ("Journey through Wales"), Gerald of Wales mentioned the church, saying that when the Normans were ransacking Anglesey during a Welsh revolt led by Gruffydd ap Cynan
in 1098, Hugh of Montgomery
, one of the Norman lords, had kept his dogs in Llandyfydog church. He added that the dogs had gone mad by the morning, and the earl had been killed within a week.
A church was recorded here in 1254 during the Norwich Taxation, but the oldest part of the present building is the nave
dating from about 1400. The chancel
was rebuilt at the end of the 15th century or in the first part of the following century. Restoration work took place in 1823, and then again 1862, when the present porch (on the west end of the south wall) and the vestry
(to the north) were added, along with other alterations.
The church, which is still used for services as part of the Church in Wales
, is one of four in the parish of Amlwch
, the others being the churches of St Eleth, Amlwch
, St Eilian, Llaneilian, and St Gwenllwyfo, Llanwenllwyfo
. As of October 2011, the priest in charge
is H. V. Jones. The parish is in the deanery
of Twrcelyn, the archdeaconry of Bangor and the Diocese of Bangor.
People associated with the church include the Welsh botanist Hugh Davies
, born in 1739 when his father Lewis was the rector; Thomas Ellis Owen, rector from 1794, who wrote anti-Methodist pamphlets; and James Henry Cotton
(rector in 1814; appointed Dean
of Bangor Cathedral
in 1838). The priest and antiquarian Nicholas Owen
was born in Llandyfyrdog when his father was the rector (from 1750 to 1785). Owen petitioned, unsuccessfully, on three occasions to be given the living
, and he was eventually buried here.
es at the east end of the nave and at the entrance to the porch.
The oldest window is to the east side of the porch, on the south wall, which dates from about 1400; it has two lights (sections of window separated by a mullion
) topped by trefoil
s, set in a rectangular window frame. It is echoed by a 19th-century window on the same wall, set slightly higher to illuminate the pulpit. The north wall has two rectangular windows, one with a pair of lights topped by cinquefoils, the other a single light with a trefoil at the top. One of the windows has been inserted into a opening previously used as a doorway. The east window, which has three lights, dates from the latter part of the 15th century, and is the only window to contain stained glass. Inside, the division between nave and chancel is marked with a pointed arch, dating from about 1400. Seating is provided in the form of painted box pews, dating from the 19th century, and possibly installed at the time of the restoration work in 1823.
A survey by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire in 1937 noted an 18th-century communion table, an engraved Elizabethan silver cup and a silver paten
dated 1721, and a memorial inside the church dated 1791. A 19th-century writer noted a seat near the altar with "R.B. 1630" upon it, said to mark it as belonging to the Bulkeley family (who were prominent and influential landowners, in Anglesey and elsewhere in north Wales, from the 15th to the 19th centuries). The churchyard contains a number of slate tombs and a sundial made from brass, dating from the 18th century, standing in the base of a medieval stone cross.
(the Welsh Assembly Government
body responsible for the built heritage of Wales and for the inclusion of Welsh buildings on the statutory lists) also notes that the church still had "a rich vernacular character." The churchyard's stone wall and the sundial have both been given listed building status, at the lower level of Grade II (for "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them").
The 19th-century writer Samuel Lewis said that it was "a lofty and venerable structure, in excellent repair", and with "a remarkably large chancel." Writing in 1859, the clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones
said that the church was "one of the better sort" in Anglesey. At the time he saw the church, there was an old porch and the north door in the nave was still in use. He described the nave as "unusually high", and said that the window positioned to light the pulpit "disfigures the building." He also thought that the "high" chancel walls gave "great effect" to the interior. A 2009 guide to the buildings of the region described it as a "handsomely proportioned church" It particularly noted the nave, describing it as "broad, almost a square", with the chancel arch "dying into the responds."
Llandyfrydog
Llandyfrydog is a village in Anglesey, in north-west Wales....
, Anglesey
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 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 (such as the nave
Nave
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...
arch) 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."
According to local tradition, a standing stone about 1 miles (1.6 km) away is the petrified remains of a man who stole a bible from the church and was punished by St Tyfrydog as a result. The Welsh historian Gerald of Wales said that when the Norman lord Hugh of Montgomery
Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury
Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat.-Lineage:He was the second surviving son of Roger of Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and Mabel of Bellême...
was putting down the Welsh revolt led by Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan was a King of Gwynedd. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales...
in 1098, he kept his dogs in the church. The dogs had gone mad by the morning, and Montgomery himself was killed within a week.
The church is still in use for worship, as part of 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 four churches in a combined parish. It is a Grade II* listed building, a national designation given to "particularly important buildings of more than special interest", in particular because it is a "good Medieval rural church which retains much of its Medieval fabric". The circular churchyard walls and an 18th-century sundial in the churchyard have also been given listed building status.
History and location
St Tyfrydog's Church is in a wooded circular churchyard in the middle of the hamlet of LlandyfrydogLlandyfrydog
Llandyfrydog is a village in Anglesey, in north-west Wales....
in Anglesey
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. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) from the county town 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...
. Llandyfrydog takes its name from the church: the Welsh word originally meant "enclosure" and then "church", and "-dyfrydog" is a modified form of the saint's name.
The 19th-century Anglesey historian Angharad Llwyd
Angharad Llwyd
Angharad Llwyd was a Welsh antiquary and a prizewinner at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.She was born at Caerwys in Flintshire, the daughter of Rev. John Lloyd, himself a noted antiquary. Her essay entitled Catalogue of Welsh Manuscripts, etc. in North Wales won a prize at the Welshpool...
wrote that a church was supposed to have been first built here around 450; Samuel Lewis, writing in 1849, said that the original church was established by St Tyfyrdog himself. An upright stone about 4 feet (1.2 m) high, which stands in a field about 1 miles (1.6 km) from the village, is known as "the thief of Dyfrydog". It is said by local tradition to be a man turned into stone by St Tyfyrdog for stealing the church's bible; the lump near the top of the stone is said to be the sack on the man's shoulder.
In his 1191 Itinerarium Cambriae ("Journey through Wales"), Gerald of Wales mentioned the church, saying that when the Normans were ransacking Anglesey during a Welsh revolt led by Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan
Gruffydd ap Cynan was a King of Gwynedd. In the course of a long and eventful life, he became a key figure in Welsh resistance to Norman rule, and was remembered as King of all Wales...
in 1098, Hugh of Montgomery
Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury
Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat.-Lineage:He was the second surviving son of Roger of Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and Mabel of Bellême...
, one of the Norman lords, had kept his dogs in Llandyfydog church. He added that the dogs had gone mad by the morning, and the earl had been killed within a week.
A church was recorded here in 1254 during the Norwich Taxation, but the oldest part of the present building is the nave
Nave
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...
dating from about 1400. 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...
was rebuilt at the end of the 15th century or in the first part of the following century. Restoration work took place in 1823, and then again 1862, when the present porch (on the west end of the south wall) and the vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
(to the north) were added, along with other alterations.
The church, which is still used for services as part of 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...
, is one of four in the parish of Amlwch
Amlwch
Amlwch is the most northerly town in Wales. It is situated on the north coast of the Isle of Anglesey, on the A5025 which connects it to Holyhead and to Menai Bridge. The town has no beach, but it has impressive coastal cliffs. Tourism is an important element of the local economy. At one time it...
, the others being the churches of St Eleth, Amlwch
St Eleth's Church, Amlwch
St Eleth's Church, Amlwch is a parish church built in the Neo-classical style in 1800 in Amlwch, a town on the island of Anglesey in north Wales. It stands on the site of earlier buildings, with the first church here said to have been established by St Elaeth in the 6th century...
, St Eilian, Llaneilian, and St Gwenllwyfo, Llanwenllwyfo
St Gwenllwyfo's Church, Llanwenllwyfo
St Gwenllwyfo's Church, Llanwenllwyfo is a 19th-century parish church near the village of Dulas, in Anglesey, north Wales. It was built between 1854 and 1856 to replace an earlier church in the parish, also dedicated to St Gwenllwyfo, which needed repair and had become too small for its congregation...
. As of October 2011, the priest in charge
Priest in charge
A priest in charge or priest-in-charge is a priest in charge of a parish who does not receive the temporalities of the parish. He or she is not legally responsible for the churches and glebe, simply holds a licence rather than freehold and is not appointed by advowson.The appointment of priests in...
is H. V. Jones. The parish is in 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 and the Diocese of Bangor.
People associated with the church include the Welsh botanist Hugh Davies
Hugh Davies (botanist)
Hugh Davies was a Welsh botanist and Anglican clergyman. He spent most of his professional life on the island of Anglesey and published a treatise on the flora of the county, which was the first volume to cross-reference plant names in the Welsh language with their scientific names.-Life:Davies...
, born in 1739 when his father Lewis was the rector; Thomas Ellis Owen, rector from 1794, who wrote anti-Methodist pamphlets; and James Henry Cotton
James Henry Cotton
James Henry Cotton was a clergyman and educationist who held the position of Dean of Bangor from 1838 until his death and was instrumental in the restoration of Bangor Cathedral....
(rector in 1814; appointed Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
of Bangor Cathedral
Bangor Cathedral
Bangor Cathedral is an ancient place of Christian worship situated in Bangor, Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It is dedicated to its founder, Saint Deiniol....
in 1838). The priest and antiquarian Nicholas Owen
Nicholas Owen (clergyman)
Nicholas Owen was a Welsh Anglican priest and antiquarian.-Life:Owen, who was born in Llandyfrydog, Anglesey on 2 January 1752 , was educated at Jesus College, Oxford, obtaining his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1773 and his Master of Arts degree in 1776...
was born in Llandyfyrdog when his father was the rector (from 1750 to 1785). Owen petitioned, unsuccessfully, on three occasions to be given the living
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:...
, and he was eventually buried here.
Architecture and fittings
St Tyfrydog's is built from rough, small, squared stones, dressed with limestone. The nave measures about 24 feet 9 inches by 23 feet 6 inches (about 7.5 m by 7.2 m); the chancel is about 23 feet 3 inches by 18 feet 9 inches (about 7.1 m by 5.7 m). The roof is made of slate, with a stone bellcote at the west end housing one bell. The roof timbers are visible from inside the church. There are buttressButtress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es at the east end of the nave and at the entrance to the porch.
The oldest window is to the east side of the porch, on the south wall, which dates from about 1400; it has two lights (sections of window separated by a 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...
) topped by trefoil
Trefoil
Trefoil is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used in architecture and Christian symbolism...
s, set in a rectangular window frame. It is echoed by a 19th-century window on the same wall, set slightly higher to illuminate the pulpit. The north wall has two rectangular windows, one with a pair of lights topped by cinquefoils, the other a single light with a trefoil at the top. One of the windows has been inserted into a opening previously used as a doorway. The east window, which has three lights, dates from the latter part of the 15th century, and is the only window to contain stained glass. Inside, the division between nave and chancel is marked with a pointed arch, dating from about 1400. Seating is provided in the form of painted box pews, dating from the 19th century, and possibly installed at the time of the restoration work in 1823.
A survey by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire in 1937 noted an 18th-century communion table, an engraved Elizabethan silver cup and a silver 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....
dated 1721, and a memorial inside the church dated 1791. A 19th-century writer noted a seat near the altar with "R.B. 1630" upon it, said to mark it as belonging to the Bulkeley family (who were prominent and influential landowners, in Anglesey and elsewhere in north Wales, from the 15th to the 19th centuries). The churchyard contains a number of slate tombs and a sundial made from brass, dating from the 18th century, standing in the base of a medieval stone cross.
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". It was given this status on 12 May 1970, being regarded "as a good Medieval rural church which retains much of its Medieval fabric". CadwCadw
-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 and for the inclusion of Welsh buildings on the statutory lists) also notes that the church still had "a rich vernacular character." The churchyard's stone wall and the sundial have both been given listed building status, at the lower level of Grade II (for "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them").
The 19th-century writer Samuel Lewis said that it was "a lofty and venerable structure, in excellent repair", and with "a remarkably large chancel." Writing in 1859, the clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones
Harry Longueville Jones
-Life:Jones was the son of Edward Jones by Charlotte Elizabeth Stephens, was born in Piccadilly, London, in 1806. His father was second son of Captain Thomas Jones of Wrexham, who adopted the additional name of Longueville on succeeding to a portion of the Longueville estates in Shropshire. Jones...
said that the church was "one of the better sort" in Anglesey. At the time he saw the church, there was an old porch and the north door in the nave was still in use. He described the nave as "unusually high", and said that the window positioned to light the pulpit "disfigures the building." He also thought that the "high" chancel walls gave "great effect" to the interior. A 2009 guide to the buildings of the region described it as a "handsomely proportioned church" It particularly noted the nave, describing it as "broad, almost a square", with the chancel arch "dying into the responds."