England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llanddona St Dona

The Parish

The parish of Llanddona lies in the east of Anglesey forming a stretch of the island's coastline with the Irish Sea. Llanddona is located roughly 3 1/2 miles northwest of the town of Beaumaris and sits around 2 miles north of the B5109 road which links Beaumaris with Pentraeth. Llanddona is a largely modern village built along a half mile stretch of land on the high ground away from the coast, the parish church sits on the eastern shores of Red Wharf Bay (Traeth Coch) amongst what would have been a small herring fishing hamlet. Much of the parish sits upon rocky ground with an extensive uncultivated common on the least satisfactory ground, the remainder is largely pastoral with both sheep & cattle the main livestock. Llanddona has a few visitors with the strand at Red Wharf Bay popular with trippers despite the uncommonly steep narrow lanes required to reach it (25% slopes beware). In addition the newly created Anglesey Coastal Trail, part of the whole Wales trail, circumnavigates the island and passes through Llanddona parish. As a coastal community drainage is a matter of short fast flowing becks soon reaching the sea. The parish of Llanddona covers a variety of heights from sea level to 148 metres in the east of the village, the highest ground around. Llanddona parish was quite extensive covering just under 2,400 acres which would have supported a population of close to 500 parishioners. Like most of Wales Llanddona is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

From the village of Llanddona one has to descend very steep narrow lanes almost to Red Wharf Nay beach to reach St Dona's church, it sits in a fork in those lanes to the left the lane runs along the shore, to the right it climbs back up towards Bwrdd Arthur topped with its ancient fort. Sadly the medieval church which one stood here was demolished and today's church is a Victorian replacement of 1873 and not that in which these marriages were celebrated. Today's church is a simple church of nave and chancel augmented with transepts and a bellcote. A few pieces of early masonry from the 16th century appear in the fabric as references to its predecessor. The triangular space in front of the church has space for one or two vehicles but careful parking is required, a less troublesome solution is to continue to the beach car park and walk back. The church sits within a very compact circular "llan" with little room to get back for images, some of the best are probably available from the lanes.