England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
   Llangynhafal St Cynhafal

The Parish

The parish of Llangynhafal lies in the extreme east of Denbighshire forming a stretch of the county's border with neighbouring Flintshire. Llangynhafal is located roughly 4 miles north of the market town of Ruthin and stands a mile east of the B5429 road which parallels the base of the Clwydian Hills from Llanbedr Dyffrin Clwyd to Rhuallt. Llangynhafal is a distributed settlement with no real village to speak of, a cluster does sit around the village's inn and the crossroads to the south of there. The only settlement which could be granted the term village is that of Gellifor built around a triangle of lanes to the south. Llangynhafal parish crosses two distinctly differing land-forms, to the east the Clwydian range rises steeply and is largely unenclosed upland grazing for sheep, to the west lies the fertile Vale of Clwyd which would have been largely arable with hardy cereals the dominant crop, usually oats and barley. Today Llangynhafal has a few visitors heading for the hilltops to its east where Offa's Dyke National Trail passes over the summits. Brisk mountain streams head westwards draining the parish to the Afon Clwyd which takes water northwestwards to reach the Irish Sea through Rhyl. Llangynhafal is sited at around 120 metres at the inn and 140 metres above the sea at the church but eastern views are dominated by the bulk of mighty Moel Famau topped by the Jubilee Tower and reaching 554 metres in less than 2 miles from the village. Llangynhafal parish covered around 2,300 acres, roughly equally pastures and arable, that acreage would have supported a population of close to 500 parishioners. Like most of Wales Llangynhafal is not mentioned in Domesday Book which has no coverage west of the Clwyds.

The Church

St Cynhafal's church, a unique dedication and named for a 7th century missionary monk, sits on the northern side of the lane headed eastwards from the main crossroads, the lane peters out to a mountain footpath shortly after the church. Given the saint's 7th century life it is likely the site, a traditional round "llan", also dates from a similar period, of course nothing of that early church survives. Indeed there is nothing at all earlier than the later medieval Perpendicular times when the church was probably completely rebuilt. The church has a double-nave layout typical of many churches in the area, the southern doorway also survives from this era. Even as early 1669 restorations were begun whilst a much more substantial phase was undertaken in the more typical Victorian period of 1869-1870, the porch being the major addition to the layout which mainly repaired damaged fabric. As the lane passing the church is barely wider than a van it is recommended to park on the High Street and walk to the church, the churchyard is raised above road height with steps rising into it, once within there are no obstacles for the photographer.