Bonvilston St Mary the Virgin

England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Bonvilston St Mary the Virgin

The Parish

The parish of Bonvilston. its Welsh name being Tresimwn, lies in southern Glamorgan roughly 4 miles east of the market town of Cowbridge. Bonvilston sits on and mostly north of the A48 road which links Cowbridge through to Cardiff. Bonvilston has a presence for over a quarter of a mile along the A48, itself, whilst a curving set of lanes heading out & back to the north has most of the other properties. The 12th century ring-work sitting in a marshy field just over a half a mile southeast is a remnant of a fortified site indicating the early origins of this settlement. Bonvilston sits within the rich & fertile lands of the Vale of Glamorgan, an area with both farming regimes, in Bonvilston parish early gazetteers estimate roughly 70/30 in favour of pastoral farming. Several small streams drain the village southwards merging to become the Kenson River, the latter soon meets the River Thaw and the nearby outer Bristol Channel through the works at Aberthaw. Bonvilston occupies a rising site, the western properties at 80 metres with the eastern ones some 20 metres higher, in gentle terrain where local high points rise to 133 metres at the motte & bailey site by St Nicholas. Bonvilston parish was relatively small in extent, covering little more than 1,100 acres it would have supported a population of close to 300 parishioners. Like most of Wales Bonvilston is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Mary's church sits directly on the northern side of the A48 as it passes through the village and sits toward the western end of the village. Sadly little remains of the medieval in this church except the western tower as it was almost completely rebuilt in the early 1860s. The remaining medieval portion, the western tower bears the Perpendicular styling of the late 14th or early 15th centuries, its belfry windows are, however, later still and date from the 16th century Tudor period. The remainder of the church, nave, chancel and northern transept, all dates from the extensive rebuilding in Victorian times, the builders did preserve two pieces of fabric from the Perpendicular predecessor, the chancel arch and northern wall of the nave, otherwise all is Victorian pastiche of the Early English Gothic style from the 13th century. Whilst the A48 is a main road there is surprisingly little traffic, most through traffic being to the north on the modern M4 motorway, and street parking outside the churchyard is perfectly possible. Sadly for the photographer many favoured aspects are covered in densely packed deciduous trees leaving just a few angles available.

The Records

Register No	Covering Dates	Deposited With	Register Style	Quality Standard	Comments
1	27th September 1758 - 20th February 1812	Glamorgan Archives - Cardiff - Reference - P29CW/5	This register is unusual in being just a quarter size and consisting simply of a single combined Banns & Marriage entry per page, the pre-printing only lasts for the first 40 entries continuing as an unruled book after that.	Grade 2 Register - not a perfect read but with a low likelihood of misreads	None
2	23rd October 1813 - 15th May 1837	National Library of Wales	Bishops' Transcripts on loose-leaf folios	Grade 3 Register - there are sufficient quality issues with this register to indicate that some misreads will occur albeit few in number	Sadly the register for this period has been reported lost, possibly burnt. The BTs have the usual quality and omission issues resulting in some potential misreads and the certainty of a few entries being lost to history

Llancarfan St Cadoc	Pendoylan St Cadoc	St Nicholas
Llancarfan St Cadoc		St Nicholas
Llancarfan St Cadoc	Llancarfan St Cadoc	St Nicholas

1760 1770 1780 1790 1800 1810 1820 1830

Register Reference	Date	Groom Forename	Groom Surname	Groom Status	Groom Abode	Bride Forename	Bride Surname	Bride Status	Bride Abode
1	27/09/1758	Nicholas	THOMAS			Mary	JOHN
2	01/05/1759	William	MORGAN			Elizabeth	JONES
5	13/06/1761	Richard	LOUGHER			Ann	THOMAS
6	20/01/1762	Evan	BEVAN		Llanharry	Catherine	JOHN
7	16/05/1762	William	HARRY		Welsh St Donats	Ann	LEWIS
8	01/06/1762	William	WILLIAMS			Jennet	ROBERT	Widow
9	17/07/1762	William John	HOWEL			Margaret	JENKIN
3	12/05/1763	John	MILES		Pendoylan	Ann	GEYDORE
10	17/02/1764	Christmas	MORGAN		Llancarfan	Mary	LEWIS
11	04/05/1765	John	MILES	Widower	Merthyr Dyfan	Mary	THOMAS	Widow
4	23/05/1765	Thomas	LEWIS		St Nicholas	Mary	GWILLIM
12	28/06/1766	William	DAVID		Llantrithyd	Cate	THOMAS
13	03/03/1767	Richard	LOUGHER			Catherine	JOHN
14	25/11/1767	John	SAMUEL			Mary	JENKINS		Llancarfan
15	18/10/1768	John	FOGERTY		St Nicholas, Bristol, Gloucestershire	Ann	LOUGHER
16	26/05/1769	William	MORGAN		Pendoylan	Jennett	GIBBON
17	29/06/1769	William	EVAN		Llantrisant	Cathrine	LOUGHER
18	08/02/1770	Lewis	DAVID		St Lythans	Jane	WILLIAM
19	26/06/1770	George	DAVID		Cadoxton Juxta Barry	Mary	DAVID	Widow
20	30/04/1773	William	SAMUEL			Joan	WILLIAM
21	12/05/1773	John	WILLIAM		St Nicholas	Catherine	WILLIAM
22	09/05/1774	David	EDWARD		Eglwysilan	Mary	JOHN
23	06/01/1776	Thomas	FORD			Margaret	LEWIS
24	03/01/1777	David	WILLIAM		Peterston Super Ely	Eleanor	HARRY
26	18/01/1777	William	THOMAS			Margaret	THOMAS		St Nicholas
27	07/05/1777	John	GIBBON			Jane	JOHN
28	24/06/1777	Rowland	MILES			Elizabeth	JONES
29	02/05/1778	Richard	GIBBON			Elizabeth	GRIFFITH
30	26/05/1778	David	HARRY		Penmark	Ann	REES
31	02/11/1778	William	ROBERT			Cecil	GEYDOR
32	18/05/1780	Henry	EVAN		Peterston Super Ely	Margaret	MORGAN
33	22/05/1780	William	JOHN		Llancarfan	Cecil	JOHN
34	05/06/1780	Henry	MORGAN		Llancarfan	Mary	LEWIS
35	18/05/1781	Robert	THOMAS			Elizabeth	MORGAN
36	14/06/1781	Thomas	MORGAN			Jennet	THOMAS
37	05/01/1782	George	TASKER		Margam	Margaret	JAMES
38	30/09/1782	Thomas	THOMAS			Mary	SAMUEL
39	02/12/1782	William	JAMES		Wilcrick, Monmouthshire	Ann	EVAN
40	29/01/1783	John	LEWIS			Mary	THOMAS
41	29/01/1783	Samuel	GRIFFITH		St Nicholas	Jane	WILLIAM
42	22/05/1784	Evan	JENKINS			Mary	JAMES
43	17/02/1785	William	HUMPHREY			Jane	CHARLES		Welsh St Donats
	18/05/1785	John	EVAN		St Brides Super Ely	Mary	HOWELL
	14/11/1786	William	JOHN			Jennet	REES
	23/12/1786	John	JENKINS		Llandaff	Ann	WILLIAMS
	11/10/1787	Thomas	LEWIS		Llantrithyd	Ann	GRIFFITHS
	18/10/1787	Lewis	POWELL		St Brides Super Ely	Mary	MILES
	22/05/1788	John	BOWEN		Wenvoe	Catherine	LEWIS
	28/10/1788	William	LEWIS		Wenvoe	Margaret	WILLIAM
	09/05/1789	William	JOHN		St Fagans	Sarah	THOMAS
	22/10/1790	Christopher	FRENCH		Wenvoe	Catherine	GIBBON
	08/11/1791	Thomas	MATTHEW		Llanwonno	Elizabeth	EVAN
	05/05/1792	William	MORGAN			Catherine	JOHN
	16/05/1793	John	DAVID		St Lythans	Ann	LOUGHER
	03/06/1794	James	EVANS		Llandaff	Mary	JENKINS
	08/06/1795	George	DAVID		Whitchurch	Charlotte	FRENCH
	17/06/1795	Richard	WAPHAM		St Nicholas	Elizabeth	GRIFFITHS
	22/06/1795	Alexander	THOMAS		Cowbridge	Ann	THOMAS
	08/08/1795	David	WILLIAM		St Georges Super Ely	Margaret	EDWARD
	29/01/1797	Jenkin	EVAN			Ann	JOHN
	17/03/1798	Thomas	DAVID		Pendoylan	Ann	JENKINS
	12/05/1798	John	MILES			Jane	THOMAS		Llancarfan
	18/10/1799	Thomas	FOORD			Mary	JOHN
	03/05/1800	James	THOMAS		Wenvoe	Mary	LOUGHER
	14/05/1800	William	REES		St Nicholas	Ann	LLEWELLIN
	02/05/1801	William	JENKIN		Welsh St Donats	Ann	JOHN
	14/06/1802	James	WILLIAMS			Mary	RICHARDS
	25/11/1802	Thomas	LEWIS		Llancarfan	Ann	MILES	Single
	01/01/1803	John	THOMAS			Catherine	THOMAS
	15/01/1803	William	LOUGHER			Alice	BROWN
	20/08/1804	Thomas	JOHN		Penllyn	Elizabeth	MERRICK
	19/05/1805	Theophilus	WILLIAMS			Catherine	GWYNNE
	19/09/1805	William	THOMAS		Llancarfan	Barbara	GRIFFITHS
	08/10/1805	John	HERBERT		St Nicholas	Elenor	JONES
	09/10/1805	William	WILLIAMS		St James, Bristol, Gloucestershire	Catherine	JOHN
	02/05/1806	Thomas	FOORD	Single		Joan	GIBBON	Single
	15/05/1806	John	HARRY	Single		Mary	FOORD	Single
	26/01/1807	Miles	WILLIAMS	Single	Llansannor	Cecil	WILLIAMS
	08/03/1807	Evan	DAVID	Single		Mary	THOMAS	Single
	26/04/1807	John	WALTER		St Mellons, Monmouthshire	Mary	JONES
	07/05/1808	Thomas	SEEKE	Single		Catherine	MAXEY
	14/09/1808	John	EVANS	Single		Ann	HORNELL	Single
	21/03/1809	Philip	GRIFFITHS	Single		Elizabeth	JONES
	11/12/1809	Joseph	JOHN	Single	St Fagans	Elizabeth	DAVIES	Single
	07/03/1810	Edward	MORGAN	Single	Llancarfan	Catherine	MILES	Single
	20/02/1812	John	POWELL	Single	Eglwys Brewis	Gwenllian	JENKINS
1	23/10/1813	Philip	LOUGHOR	Widower		Alice	JONES	Widow
2	12/06/1814	John	GRIFFITH	Single		Anne	JONES	Single
3	06/05/1815	William	GRIFFITH	Single		Eleanor	MAXY	Single
4	11/05/1815	William	THOMAS	Single	Merthyr Dyfan	Mary	GIBBON	Single
5	13/05/1815	Thomas	MORGAN	Single		Susan	MILES	Single
6	17/06/1815	Henry	ROBERT	Single		Mary	EVANS	Single
7	19/06/1815	John	JOHN	Single	St Fagans	Jane	WILLIAMS	Single
8	08/02/1816	Benjamin	JOHN	Single	Pendoylan	Mary	LEWIS	Single
9	11/05/1816	Thomas	LEWIS	Single	St Nicholas	Rebecca	LEWIS	Single
10	21/09/1816	Thomas	MEASY	Single	Llancarfan	Jane	JENKINS
12	29/05/1819	Edward	GIBBON	Single		Elizabeth	MORGAN	Single
13	28/02/1820	John	HENRY	Single	Wenvoe	Ann	GIBBON
	08/05/1824	William	THOMAS	Single	St Nicholas	Catherine	MORGAN	Single
	26/06/1824	Edmund	GEORGE	Single	St Nicholas	Charity	BOULT	Single
20	06/05/1826	Elias	BEVAN		Monknash	Susan	LOYD
21	08/05/1826	Rees	DAVID	Single	Merthyr Tydfil	Mary	WILLIAMS	Single
22	27/05/1826	Evan	REES		Llandough Juxta Penarth	Margaret	THOMAS
23	16/09/1826	Thomas	ALEXANDER	Single	St Athan	Mary	JONES	Single
24	10/05/1828	Thomas	EVAN	Single	Pendoylan	Catherine	LEWIS	Single
25	24/06/1828	Thomas	WILLIAMS	Single	Pendoylan	Anne	THOMAS	Single
26	02/08/1828	Edmund	EDMUND	Single	Llanharan	Mary	THOMAS	Single
27	02/05/1829	William	DAVID	Single		Catherine	THOMAS	Single
28	12/10/1829	David	WATKIN	Single	Coychurch	Anne	EVANS	Single
29	15/12/1829	John	GRIFFITHS	Single		Hannah	JENKINS	Single
30	24/07/1830	John	REES		St Nicholas	Barbara	GRIFFITHS
31	06/07/1833	William	MORGAN	Single	Llantrithyd	Catherine	THOMAS	Single
32	26/04/1834	Evan	HOPKIN	Single	Llandaff	Mary	GRIFFITHS	Single
33	07/06/1834	John	MORGAN		Cardiff	Ann	MEAZEY
34	20/04/1835	Benjamin	MORGAN	Single		Elizabeth	JENKINS	Widow
35	31/12/1835	Henry	GRIFFITHS	Single	Welsh St Donats	Ann	THOMAS	Single
36	30/01/1836	William	DAVID	Single		Cecil	VAUGHAN	Single
37	22/05/1836	Henry	GRIFFITHS	Single		Rebecca	DAVIES	Single
38	06/05/1837	John	THOMAS	Single	Margam	Mary	JOHN	Single
39	06/05/1837	Richard	ELLIS	Single	Coity	Mary	DAVIES	Single
40	15/05/1837	William	GRIFFITHS	Single		Jane	ROSSER	Single

Corrections to Tinstaafl Transcripts