England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Nefyn St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Nefyn lies on the western coastline of Caernarvonshire's Lleyn Peninsula roughly 20 miles southwest of the county town of Cernarvon. Nefyn sits at the western end of the A497 road which links it with Pwllheli. Nefyn is a small market town, port and coastal resort, the town of Nefyn is built around a T-junction of the A397 with the coastal B4417 with most properties lying along each of three limbs making up that junction. To the west lies the coastal resort of Morfa Nefyn with properties again lining the B4417 but extending seawards to the sweeping bay of Porth Dinllaen. Further west is a major headland which protects the bay from the western winds, traces of Roman activity have been found suggesting it held a port in those early times. In the early medieval period the town became the local market for the Lleyn, a centre for trade and specialist skills, the port was mainly concerned with local fishing and coat building, there was industry in the town of which to speak. The town's importance was emphasised in 1284 as the venue for a tournament held by the conquering Edward I which involved use of a round table in honour of King Arthur. In more modern times Nefyn was mooted on several occasions as the port to become the home of the Dublin packets which prompted improvements to the port but the trade never materialised and was lost to Holyhead. Several plans were submitted to extend the railway from Pwllheli but again these failed leaving Nefyn as a peaceful small market town & small port. Today Morfa Nefyn serves the holiday trade and Nefyn the local market, the completion of the Welsh Coastal Trail around the Lleyn Peninsula will undoubtedly bring trade and visitors to the town as a welcome overnight stop on that arduous route. As a coastal town there are many small rivulets taking water into the nearby Irish Sea. Nefyn is sited between sea level and 70 metres above, to the south stands the isolated knoll of Garn Boduan, topped with a hill-fort site, which summits at 270 metres and dominates the local skyline. Nefyn parish was small in extent like many on the southern Lleyn, it covered around 1,800 acres and would have supported a population of close to 1,700 parishioners. Like most of Wales Nefyn has no entry in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Mary's church sits on the eastern side of Nefyn on Stryd-y-mynach and sitting above the small beck that drains northwest into the Irish Sea. Sadly the original 13th century church was demolished to make way for today's church which was completed in 1827 so was not the venue for many of these marriages. St Mary has now been replaced as the parish church by St David and is used as a maritime museum. The church has a combined nave and chancel with a thin western tower capped by pinnacles. At sometime in the Victorian era the northern porch was added. The streets around the site are narrow but a few spots permit on-street parking, otherwise a car park is best sought. The churchyard stands above road height and steps and a sloping pathway both climb up from Stryd-y-mynach to reach it. The site is open and uncluttered with no obstacles for the photographer.