England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llanfigael St Figael

The Parish

The parish of Llanfigael lies in northern Anglesey roughly 10 miles southwest of the port & market town of Amlwch. Llanfigael sits about a mile east of the A5025 road which links Amlwch with Valley (Y Fali). Llanfigael is a tiny place barely describable as a hamlet, a couple of farms sit close to the former parish church and a few more to the north at Stryd y Facsen, otherwise the population is dispersed across the wider parish. Llanfigael is almost exclusively a farming parish, the shallow valley of Afon Alaw gave it some pastures but the majority of the acreage would have been set to crops such as hardy cereals and root crops. Llanfigael is drained southwestwards by Afon Alaw which reaches the Irish Sea opposite Holy Island (Ynys Gybi) just north of the modern development of Newlands. Llanfigael is sited at just 10 metres above the sea at the church with much of the parish sitting below 30 metres, a small knoll to the north carrying a trig point reads 44 metres as the highest local land. Llanfigael parish was one of the smallest on the island covering merely 484 acres which would have supported a population of close to 100 parishioners. Like most of Wales Llanfigael is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Figael's church stands just north of the Afon Alaw with Llanfigael Farm for company, the church has been declared redundant for worship and is now managed by the Friends of Friendless Churches. The church has had a chequered history, it is first mentioned in tax records dated to 1254 and parts of the original foundations survive albeit built upon in the 18th century. The church also retains a 14th century octagonal font indicating continuity through the medieval period. By the late 18th century, however, the church had fallen into a ruinous state in which it sat for almost 40 years. In 1841 the church underwent a massive reconstruction and complete interior overhaul. It was during this phase that the iconic late-Georgian interior layout (including the box pews, double-decker pulpit, backless benches, and timber windows) was installed. Following transfer into the care of the charity, the church was further stabilised so it could be readily visited to appreciate the interior. The lane passing the church is of ample width and quiet volume that on-street parking is viable, the churchyard has a single large tree unfortunately placed due south of the church but all other angles are readily available.