England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llanllechid St Llechid

The Parish

The parish of Llanllechid lies in northern Caernarvonshire forming a short stretch of the county's northern Irish Sea coastline. There is a vast difference between Llanllechid, the parish, and Llanllechid, the village, the latter is a small settlement sitting roughly 4 miles southeast of the town of Bangor whilst the former is an extensive area of the county stretching for 13 miles in length and 3 wide and encompassing vast tracts of the Snowdonia National Park. Llanllechid, itself, sits just over a mile east of the A5 road (London to Bangor) and largely consists of a few scattered properties lining a narrow lane running parallel to the A5 on the coastal plain of the county. The major settlement within the parish is that of Bethesda roughly 2 miles further south and situate on the A5 and to its east, Bethesda is a substantial village sitting at the western edge of the Carneddau range with mountains rising immediately to its east. To mention the economy of this area would be remiss not to focus on the slate industry, large quarries at Penrhyn still marr the landscape close to Bethesda, which employed many at the time of this transcript. The economy was broader, however, with the coastal plain providing rich grazing for cattle whilst the extensive mountains were dotted with hill farms raising sheep. Today the area is notable as a climbing and hiking centre with Bethesda having a substantial tourist trade. Modern developments do impact the parish, a branch railway line serving Bethesda and its slate quarries once ran but is now closed whilst the London to Holyhead railway line together with the North Wales Expressway (A55) run through the northern part of the parish. The main drainage for the parish is provided by the Afon Ogwen which flows to the west of Bethesda the short distance to the Irish Sea arriving to the east of Bangor. Llanllechid is sited at around 170 metres above the sea with Bethesda some 20 metres lower, land rises, however within the parish, to the spectacular heights of the Carneddau mountains topping out at 1,064 metres on Carnedd Llewelyn. Lanllechid parish was one of the largest, not just in its county but perhaps nationally too, covering close to 18,000 acres it would have supported a population of almost 5,000 parishioners. Like most of Wales Llanllechid is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Llechid's church stands within the hamlet of Llanllechid and west of its narrow lane, the dedication refers to an eminent female saint of the 6th century. Sadly this is not a medieval church nor, indeed, is it the venue of these marriages having been built to replace a former early church in 1844. Controversially built in a faux-Norman style the church was heavily criticised by Ecclesiologists of the Victorian era for its choice of style, Norman not being fashionable at that time, who derided the work as "revived Pagan". What today we see as a picturesque small church consisting of nave and chancel with an Italianate bellcote topping the western end is unlikely to cause such offense in modern taste. The lane through the village is walled and narrow but has cutaways to provide parking spaces which, with luck, allow a car to get safely off-road. The church is approached by a stunning yew tree tunnel from the metal gates which mark the entrance, fortunately these cease at the churchyard allowing no obstacles for the photographer.