England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llandilo Abercowin St Teilo

The Parish

The parish of Llandilo Abercowin (sometimes spelt Abercywyn) lies in southern Carmarthenshire roughly 8 miles southwest of the county town of Carmarthen. Llandilo Abercowin sits in an area devoid of significant numbered roads, the closest such road being west of the Afon Taf some 2 miles away to the west linking St Clears with Laugharne. Llandilo Abercowin is a tiny place, and has always been such, which sits at the western end of a narrow lane leading from Llanybri and sitting on the banks of the Afon Cywyn at its confluence with Afon Taf. The hamlet consists of a single farm group gathered around the ruins of the church plus a scatter of other farms and cottages across the wider parish. The parish would have principally engaged in pastoral farming of the rich water-meadows alongside the Afon Cywyn and adjacent salt-marshes. Said river drains the parish the short distance to Afon Taf and thence into the wider outer Bristol Channel. Llandilo Abercowin is sited, by the ruined church, at about 20 metres above the sea in gently undulating countryside, the local high point is Castell Cogan which summits at 119 metres and sits just over 2 miles northeast. Llandilo Abercowin was also a small parish of barely 900 acres within which it would have supported a population of a little over 50 parishioners. Like most of Wales Llandilo Abercowin is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover the Principality.

The Church

St Teilo's church is an ivy-covered ruin which sits southwest of the farm complex which is found at the end of the lane. The church, and its equally ruined opposite of Llanfihangel across the Afon Cywyn, were once on a pilgrimage route to the cathedral at St Davids in Pembrokeshire and were linked by a ferry, now long since gone. The old abandoned church lost its roof in 1957 and little effort has been made to prevent it deteriorating into a mere pile of stones. The single nave and chancel from medieval times was extended in the 16th century and a southern porch added at a later date but with a falling congregation the church became redundant and was neglected. A pathway leads around the southern edge of the farm buildings, its sensible to announce one's presence, to the ruin, chest high nettles and brambles make access difficult, one only for the determined photographer.