England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llancillo St Peter

The Parish

The parish of Llancillo lies in the extreme southwest of the county of Herefordshire, indeed it forms part of the border with neighbouring Monmouthshire. Llancillo is located in the valley of the River Monnow about 7 miles northeast of the Monmouthshire market town of Abergavenny. Llancillo is very rural and does not have public road access, it lies on the northern slopes of the Monnow and is accessed by a bridge and rough track from the A465 road which links Abergavenny with Hereford. There is no village not even a distinct hamlet, the parish being populated by scattered farms and cottages on a rough-grazed hillside. Llancillo is almost totally dependent on pastoral farming for its living, cattle in the Monnow floodplain and sheep on the more upland pastures. The Monnow drains eastwards and then south to reach the Wye and thence the Bristol Channel. Llancillo is sited at around 90 metres above the sea although the land rises to the north to local heights of 300 metres on Mynydd Merddin. Llancillo parish was small, even by Herefordshire standards, it covered just under 1,000 acres and supported a population of fewer than 90 parishioners. There is no specific mention of Llancillo in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Peter's church is rightly described by Pevsner as one of the most secluded and difficult to reach in Herefordshire. It stands in a remote tributary valley of the Monnow and is accessed by a bridge and rough track from the A465, alternatively a rough footpath descends the valley from the narrow lane by Arcadia Farm. The church is deconsecrated and no longer used for worship but is cared for by the friends of Friendless Churches trust. The church is of Norman, probably 12th century, origin and is simple and small as befits its small parish. There were alterations in the 17th century to both nave & chancel and again a restoration in the 1890s to arrive at today's church. Llancillo is difficult to reach and involves crossing the metal bridge (marked private!) and a level crossing of the railway, a walk of over a mile.