England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Partrishow St Issul   

The Parish

The parish of Partrishow, often spelt Partishoe or Patrisio in the Welsh, lies in the extreme southeast of Breconshire forming a stretch of the county's border with neighbouring Monmouthshire. Partrishow is located roughly 5 miles northeast of the small town of Crickhowell and sits in a mountainous area devoid of significant numbered roads, indeed the closest such road lies almost the same distance east, the A465 linking Abergavenny with Hereford. Partrishow is a tiny upland community within a relatively small parish acreage, the few properties sit within a side valley off the course of the Afon Grwyne Fawr which descends from the interior of mid-Wales. Almost all economic activity centred around upland grazing of hardy sheep. Today most visitors are also hardy, the hikers passing through on the local Beacons Way local trails which wends its strenuous way through the hamlet. Partrishow is drained by the Afon Grwyne Fawr south, west and south again to meet the Usk near Gilwern, the Usk heads further south to reach the outer Bristol Channel through the port of Newport. Partrishow is sited at around 300 metres above the sea at its church, land rises very steeply westwards to the summit of Crug Mawr, the target for those hikers, at 550 metres. At just 800 acres Partrishow parish was the smallest in its county and could barely support 50 parishioners. Like most of Wales Partrishow is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Issul's church, sometimes rendered as Ishow, sits high on the mountainside at 300 metres above sea level on the eastern side of the only lane passing through and just north of the crossing of the steep-sided beck. Despite the church's isolated position it is recorded as being dedicated c1060 albeit nothing of that age remains within today's fabric. There are early pieces, however, even if reused in later changes, to the west sits a lancet from the Early English Gothic period which has been reset. Besides the standard nave and chancel the church also has an shrine chapel, Eglwys Bedd in Welsh, abutted to the western end and having its own entrance and altar, that chapel seems to be from the first half of the 14th century, the Decorated period. The nave is recorded as having been rebuilt in the 15th century whilst the chancel is from the 16th. Restoration came late and sensitive in 1909 and made little change to the structure besides conserving it. Internally the church is renowned for the quality of its screen and rood loft, the latter described as "the most perfect and elegant rood loft now standing in the kingdom" and well worth a visit in itself. The lane passing the church is rather narrow so it is welcome that there is enough space outside the stone lychgate for a vehicle or two to get off-road. The lychgate leads to a flag-stone path leading to the church. The site presents some difficulties for the photographer, there are trees to the north and to the south it slopes steeply leaving only a few angles available.