England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llyswen St Gwendoline

The Parish

The parish of Llyswen lies in northeastern Breconshire roughly 7 miles west of the town of Hay on Wye, Llyswen also sits on the banks of the Wye which here forms the county's border with neighbouring Radnorshire. Llyswen sits on the A470 road which links Brecon with Builth Wells at its junction with the A479 arriving from Talgarth and is a small junction settlement with most properties lying eastwards of that junction. Most of Llyswen's parish area lies close to the Wye exploiting the rich water-meadows and flood-plain of that river with dairy cattle the main farming carried out, hills rise to its west the home of hardy sheep on poorer grazing. Modern developments have come and gone from the parish, a railway line linking Talgarth with Builth Wells and running parallel to the Wye having closed and been largely dismantled. Llyswen is drained eastwards by the Wye which heads back north to Hay before turning south to reach the outer Bristol Channel through the port of Chepstow. Llyswen is sited at around 100 metres above the sea, the hill of Brechfa Common to its west rises to 279 metres whilst further northwest Mynydd Forest attains 400 metres in hilly countryside. Llyswen parish was one of the county's smaller parishes at just under 1,100 acres which supported a population of close to 150 parishioners. Like most of Wales Llyswen is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Gwendoline's church sits east of the A470 accessed along Church Road and standing above a tight meander of the Wye below. Here the typical Victorian restoration of the 1860s met with something of a disaster, during the restoration the old roof collapsed necessitating a change of plan to a full rebuild. The result, completed in 1863 is set on the same medieval footings and consists of nave and chancel augmented by a stout and blocky western tower and with a timber southern porch, it is, however, not the church in which these few marriages took place. The use of lancet styled windows indicates that the original church may have been in the Early English Gothic style characterised by lancets. Church Road is narrow but widened opposite the churchyard entrance where perhaps 2 cars may safely park. The church sits within a circular "llan", indicative of an early christian site and, apart from a single tree, has no obstacles for the photographer.