England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llanenddwyn St Enddwyn

The Parish

The parish of Llanenddwyn lies in the extreme west of Merioneth forming a stretch of the county's Irish Sea coastline. Llanenddwyn is located roughly 5 miles south of the historic town of Harlech and sits upon the A496 which connects Harlech with Barmouth. There are actually twin settlements within the parish, Llanenddwyn, itself, being a small cluster of properties west of the A496 whilst the main settlement is that of Dyffryn Ardudwy to its east. Whilst the settlements are coastal the parish extends far inland in an extensive acreage that rises to formidable mountains. The farming economy is thus varied with arable and cattle on the coastal fringe whilst the uplands are the haunt of hardy hill-sheep. In addition to the farming there was an extensive extractive industry mainly targeting the mineral manganese. Modern developments have come to the parish with the coastal railway line linking Harlech & Barmouth through to Birmingham giving Dyffryn Ardudwy a station. Today tourism is very much underpinning the economy, the extensive dune system of Morfa Dyffryn being an attraction to both general tourists as well as to wildlife enthusiasts, in recent times the new Wales Coastal Trail has brought more overnight stays to the village. As a coastal settlement numerous streams drain the twin villages with fast flowing mountain streams draining the wider parish. Llanenddwyn is sited at just 20 metres above the sea but the hills inland rise steeply beyond the narrow coastal plain to top out at 589 metres on nearby Moelfre. Like most mainly upland parishes Llanenddwyn parish was rather extensive, covering almost 7,800 acres of mainly unimproved rough grazing it would nevertheless have supported a population of close to 900 parishioners. Like most of Wales Llanenddwyn is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not generally cover the principality.

The Church

St Enddwyn's church, now the former church as it has been sold to become a private house, sits close by to Dyffryn Ardudwy's railway station, accessed along the narrow lane of Ffordd y Llan. The church has its origins in the 13th century, evidence of its early origin may be found in its cruciform layout characteristic of the Norman & Early English Gothic periods. However the church has received two extensive restoration/rebuild campaigns which have largely masked these early features. Whilst early masonry may be seen on the southern flanks of the chancel and the opposite flank of the nave there are o substantial pieces wholly of that period. From the 16th century a few windows remain, hollow-moulded lancets in the nave and the southern chancel window are of that date. The remainder of the fabric largely dates from the extensive restoration of 1883. As St Enddwyn is nowadays not a public building potential visitors should respect the privacy of the residents and view solely from Ffordd y Llan.