England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llandrillo St Trillo

The Parish

The parish of Llandrillo lies in the extreme northeast of Merioneth forming an extensive stretch of the border with neighbouring Denbighshire, indeed in modern times the parish has been administratively moved into the latter county acquiring the suffix - yn Edeyrn to distinguish it from Llandrillo yn Rhos. Llandrillo is located roughly 8 miles east of the town of Bala and sits on the B4401 road which links Bala through to Corwen and northern Wales' major route the A5. Llandrillo sits at the B4401's crossing of the Afon Ceidiog just south of where that river meets the Dee, properties sit either side of the bridge  with the church to its west. Llandrillo is an upland parish with many acres of mountains including the Berwyn range within its acreage. The local economy is dominated by low-impact upland sheep grazing which is supplemented by some extraction of slate from mines in the Berwyn range. At the time of this transcript the homes of the village would have been largely powered by extraction of peat for fuel, an important source of energy but environmentally challenging. Modern developments have come and gone from Llandrillo, a branch railway line from Corwen to Bala having been completed along the nearby Dee valley has closed and been largely dismantled. Today Llandrillo earns much of its income from tourism, attracted by hiking the nearby mountains, fishing and general outdoor pursuits. The Afon Ceidiog meets the Dee just a mile north of Llandrillo, the Dee makes its way by Llangollen & Chester before reaching the Irish Sea through its own estuary. Llandrillo is sited at around 160 metres above the sea, already high but in the base of a deeply cut valley; outside the valley land rises eastwards onto the Berwyn range topping out at 827 metres at Cadair Berwyn some 3 miles or more southeast. Like many upland parishes Llandrillo was rather extensive, covering 28.200 acres it would have supported a population of around 850 parishioners. Like most of Wales Llandrillo is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Trillo's church sits within an historic circular "llan" immediately south of the B4401 and after it has crossed the Afon Ceidion en route to Bala. Sadly this church is not some medieval masterpiece nor indeed is it the venue for these marriages as its medieval predecessor described in early gazetteers as "a small ancient structure, in the early style of English architecture, with a square embattled tower at the western end" was largely demolished to make way for today's structure which was built in the late 1870s to replace it. A single piece remains of the original church that being the basal stages of the western tower beneath the octagonal bell-stage, even that has all meaningful dating evidence covered or destroyed although clearly medieval. The main supporting arches of the new church utilise an attractive red desert sandstone from the Triassic era. A church was recorded here as early as the 13th century but was replaced in 1776 only for that church to be, in turn, replaced by today's example. Street parking is available with due care on the BB401 where a gated entrance sits, the main access to a churchyard which is open except for those angles favoured by photographers, e.g. from the southeast. where trees remove that option and make for a challenging church especially on a sunny day.