England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llangennith St Cennydd

The Parish

The parish of Llangennith lies in the extreme west of Glamorgan, indeed it forms part of Glamorgan's western coastline. Llangennith sits at the western end of Glamorgan's Gower Peninsula about 16 miles west of the industrial port & city of Swansea. Llangennith is a compact village sitting at the western end of a long winding lane which runs along the peninsula from the B4295 road at Llanrhidian. The area is dominated by small arable fields on rather sandy soil, between the village and the sea are the extensive dunes of Llangennith Burrow which culminate in the rocky headland of Burry Holms. Given the coastal setting only small streams drain the parish into the nearby sea. Llangennith is sited at about 50 metres above sea level but sits at the start of a low pass between the twin hills of Harding's Down and Llanmadoc Hill both of which rise 100 metres above the village. Gower parishes are fairly large in acreage and Llangennith is one of the larger, the parish would have supported almost 450 parishioners. In common with most of Wales Llangennith is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Cennydd's church sits on the southern side of the village on the eastern side of a narrow lane. The church has a very unusual layout with a northern tower and a rather long chancel giving a peculiar profile. The church is early and largely in the Early English style of the 13th century. Most of the fabric dates either this century or that of the 14th, the windows, however, largely date from the extensive restoration of the 1880s. This restoration also raised the floor of the building by 4 feet creating some rather unusual partially covered doorways. The church sits on a steeply sloping site and is partially set into the hillside. A stone wall surrounds and access is by an attractive lychgate. The site (and indeed most of the village) is largely treeless and open so there are few restrictions to photography.