England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llanegryn St Mary & St Egryn

The Parish

The parish of Llanegryn lies in southwestern Merioneth, coming within yards of its Irish Sea coastline at the mouth of the Afon Dysynni. Llanegryn is located about 4 miles north of the coastal resort of Tywyn and some 15 miles southwest of Dolgellay. Llanegryn is a compact village which sits immediately east of the A493 road which loops around this coastal stretch of the county from Dolgellau, through Tywyn and back inland to Machynlleth. Much of the village is built along a northeastward running lane which roughly parallels the course of the Afon Dysynni. Llanegryn parish is curiously shaped being long and rather thin on a southwest to northeastern aspect all following the river and taking in a broad range of land-forms. Early gazetteers place the majority of the parish as unenclosed and uncultivated upland grazing for sheep, more intensive pastures line the river and a token acreage of arable farming also pertains. In addition to farming there was small scale extraction of the local slate, mainly for local usage being of poorer quality to that further north in Snowdonia. The Afon Dysynni drains the parish down to the nearby Irish Sea entering just north of Tywyn through Broad Water. Llanegryn is sited at around 10 metres above the sea but land rises to lofty heights within and near to the parish culminating in might Cadair Idris at 811 metres. Llanegryn parish was extensive despite its thin profile, covering close to 10,000 acres it would have supported a population of close to 750 parishioners. Like most of Wales Llanegryn was not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not  over this area.

The Church

St Mary & St Egryn's church sits away from the village, and some 40 metres higher, on a dead-end lane leading to farms.  The church sits in what was originally a circular "llan", an indication of an early Christian foundation, it is recorded in documentary evidence as early as 1253 as dependent on nearby Cymer Abbey. There is nothing of the 13th century remaining and scant at all from the medieval due to later "Victorianisation", as Pevsner puts it. A single Perpendicular style window in the northern wall, albeit re-set, and a Maltese Cross engraved into the southern wall of the chancel are the only remaining external medieval remnants. More substantially the roof of the porch is dateable to c1500, again late medieval. It is internally that the church attains merit for an extended visit, the screen is described by Pevsner as "amongst the best in Wales" and is certainly a feast of carving. A series of Victorian restorations much modified the church, the first, commenced in 1846 but not completed until the late 1850s due to the age of the incumbent was followed by a subsequent flourish in 1876. Both restorations resulted in rebuilding and additions to the basic structure. The lanes heading for the church climb steeply, at the end of the 30mph restriction a side lane turns west to the churchyard, outside the gates a turning area permits careful parking. Within the churchyard there are no obstructions, however the church is tucked away in the southwestern corner close to the boundary making it difficult to get back far enough to adequately capture it from the favoured angles.