England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llanfihangel y Pennant St Michael

The Parish

The parish of Llanfihangel y Pennant lies in southwestern Merioneth roughly 8 miles southwest of the market town of Dolgellau. Llanfihangel y Pennant sits a little over a mile northwest of the B4405 road which forma a link between Tywyn and Dolgellau with the A487 & A470 roads. Whilst the hamlet of Llanfihangel y Pennant grants its name to the parish and holds the church it is Abergynolwyn sitting on the B4405 which holds the largest concentration of folk in this solidly upland parish. The heart of the parish if the valley of Afon Dysynni in which Llanfihangel y Pennant sits, here is the most productive land with rich grazing for cattle and not a little amount of arable, the greater part of the extensive parish is, however, high upland grazing where only hardy sheep can find a living. Within the bounds of the parish is one of the country's castles home allegedly to the last of the Llewellyns and begun in 1221, during King Edward I's second Welsh War taking this castle, which sits on a tree-clad knoll to the southwest of the church, was one of the principal aims. Today much of the castle's defensive structures remains as well as 4 towers, very much a visitor attraction for the area. Modern developments have come to the parish albeit in the form of the heritage railway line of the Talyllyn Railway which heads up the parallel valley of the Afon Fathew. The Afon Dysynni drains the parish southwestwards to reach the nearby Irish Sea to the north of Tywyn. Llanfihangel y Pennant is sited at around 25 metres above the sea at its church but all around high ground rises dramatically into some of the highest ground in Wales culminating in mighty Cadair Idris at 893 metres above the sea. As already mentioned Llanfihangel y Pennant parish was extensive as are most upland parishes, it covered just over 8,200 acres and would have supported a population of close to 350 parishioners. Like most of Wales Llanfihangel y Pennant is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Michael's church sits at the head of the valley of Afon Dysynni on the very last flatish ground and surrounded on 3 sides by imposing moutains rising several hundred metres directly above it, a very picturesque setting indeed. The church sits in an oval "llan", usually a sign of an early Christian site and indeed a church is mentioned here as early as 1253. Today's church, however, is a mixture of the late medieval period and later additions and changes. Much is left undated in Pevsner's account but the basic structure of a long single chamber with a northern transept, a southern porch and western bellcote is typical of remote Welsh churches. The transept shows an east window that is of the Tudor period, the nave has 18th century windows. A restoration of 1871 is responsible for the remainder of the windows as well as the roofing. The valley's lane curves around the church and juts beyond a track leads to a chapel allowing safe parking in its broad entrance. There are a scatter of trees within the churchyard but all are easily avoided by the photographer.