England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llangattwg St Cattwg

The Parish

The parish of Llangattwg, Anglicised as Llangattock, lies in southeastern Breconshire forming a stretch of the county's border with neighbouring Monmouthshire. Llangattwg is located a mile southwest of the market town of Crockhowell, immediately across the River Usk by its magnificent 13 arched bridge. Llangattwg sits a similar distance southwest of the A40 road linking Abergavenny with Brecon. Much of Llangattwg parish is upland, the village is tucked away in a side valley of the Usk with most properties lining the lane headed southwest towards the start of the climb onto Mynydd Llangattwg. Llangattwg had a very varied economy with the industrial revolution adding immensely to its population as local coal, limestone and iron ore were exploited in furnaces. The southern edges of the parish around Beaufort were particularly impacted as quarries, mines and the trackways between them and the furnaces turned a once upland area into an industrial powerhouse. Prior to the coming of the industry there was some arable in the valley bottom, slightly more richer pastures and the majority of its extensive acreage rough upland grazing dominated by sheep. Modern developments have come to the area, the Brecon Canal helped to allow heavy goods to travel to the coast for local and international export, it passes along the Usk valley to the north of Llangattwg. In the southern section much work has brought the A485 (Heads of the Valleys) road up to a fast dual-carriageway standard. Llangattwg is drained southeast by the River Usk which heads then south passing through the small town bearing its name before reaching the outer Bristol Channel through the port of Newport. Llangattwg is sited on rising ground from 60 metres above the sea at the Usk to 120 metres at its southwestern end, land rises onto Mynydd Llangattwg which tops out at 529 metres, an objective for determined hikers. Llangattwg parish was very extensive, as are most along the southern side of the Uske, covering 12,300 acres it had a fast growing population reaching 4,300 parishioners by the end of the transcript period, the volume of marriages recorded is more typical of an average over the transcript period of between 1,500 and 2,000. Like most of Wales Llangattwg is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Cattwg's church sits on the northern edge of the village on the flatish flood-plain of the Usk and accessed along Owens Row. The main body of the church is unusual in having twin chambers of which the southernmost is the nave, the pair are separated by a 15th century Perpendicular arcade of double-chamfered piers. There are also twin chancel arches springing from the same arcade. To the west lies an impressive 16th century tower in 3 stages and completed with battlements. Several phases of restoration are noted in Pevsner beginning with a controversial re-roofing of 1785 when a roof of single pitch was created. In 1843 that work was reversed and the southern wall rebuilt. Further repairs were required by 1868 and a more formal restoration imposed in 1886 which also created the southern porch. The final act came in 1989 when the village room was created alongside the tower. Opposite the 19th century lychgate which serves for entry Church View has a small car park suitable for a leisurely visit. The round "llan" in which the church sits is open and uncluttered with no obstacles for the photographer whatsoever.