England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llanelly St Ellyw

The Parish

The parish of Llanelly lies in the extreme southeast of the county of Breconshire, indeed it forms part of the border with neighbouring Monmouthshire. Local Government reorganisation in 1974 transferred the parish from Breconshire (Powis) to the newly created county of Gwent as it was felt the population had more in common with the industrialised valleys of Monmouthshire & Glamorgan than the rural peace of mid-Wales. Llanelly is located high on a slope above the confluence of the Rivers Usk & Clydach each demonstrating their sources, the Usk in peaceful pastures and meadows, the Clydach in spoil and waste of heavy industry. Whilst the parish is named after the hamlet which sits in narrow lanes the main population is resident in the towns of the Clydach valley (Clydach & Gilwern in particular). Prior to the industrial revolution this was a sparsely populated farming district, the presence of coal & iron ore in the Clydach valley changed that forever as colliery and smelters developed and the population soared. What had been a few hundred souls expanded rapidly to almost 10,000 by the end of the period of this transcript as folk swept in from surrounding districts and further afield searching for work. Nowadays there is something of a postindustrial feel about the area as collieries and heavy industries have closed and there are great steps being made to restore something of the natural beauty, exemplified by the picturesque waterfall of Pwll Cwn. The hamlet of Llanelly is situated at around 220 metres above sea level, a substantial 170 metres above the confluence of Clydach and Usk and land rises in the parish to well over 500 metres on the bare Mynydd Llangatwg. The parish is a large one of over 4,000 acres but 1,500 of this is common grazing land. In common with most of Wales Llanelly is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

The church of St Ellyw (also rendered as St Elli or St Almeda) is located high on a hill in the hamlet that shares its name. This is a small village with narrow lanes and is quite uncharacteristic of the main population centres of the parish. The church is located at and enclosed by an oval of lanes which surround the site. The site has all the features of an ancient religious site and the church itself is also old. Pevsner identifies the 13th century (or Norman) for the south nave (there being two) and also the base of the western tower. The main period for north nave and chancel is probably 15th century although much is masked by major restorations in 1867 and 1896 (which added the incongruous broach-spire). The site is enclosed by a rough stone wall but its singular feature is the circle of ancient evergreen yews which enclose the church rather closely for adequate photographic angles. As a consequence from the building there are no extensive views but from the edges of the graveyard vistas open up across the Usk valley to the Sugar Loaf beyond.