England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llangelynin St Celynin

The Parish

The parish of Llangelynin lies in the extreme west of Merioneth forming the complete stretch of the county's coastline with the Irish Sea from the estuary of the Dysynni to that of the Mawddach, the parish consisting solely of a thin coastal strip bare a mile deep. Whilst Llangelynin gives it name to the parish and holds the parish church it is by far from being the largest community in the parish. In the north the village of Fairbourne sits precariously upon the sands of the Mawddach estuary, a modern bungalow village drawn to the sea but now threatened with abandonment due to encroaching sea levels, it sits roughly 7 miles southwest of Dogellau on the coastal A493 Further south is the village of Llwyngwril, a village sat on the A483 where the steep river Afon Gwril reaches the thin coastal plain. Next southwards comes Llangelynin, itself, little more than a clifftop hamlet with the parish church and a few farms and cottages. Finally a further beach-hugging community, Tonfanau, sits at the mouth of the Dysynni. The farming is roughly half-and-half mixed between normal farms and upland grazing, the land rises steeply inland onto extensive areas of rough grazing the haunt of sheep, the coastal plain were farmed roughly 50:50 arable and pasture. Modern developments have added the coastal railway line linking Machynlleth through to Pwllheli which grants Fairbourne, Llwyngwril and Cefncamberth (for Tonfanau) with stations, a vital lifeline for this otherwise remote stretch of coastline. The creation of the newly formed Welsh National Coastal Trail should bring hikers to this shore and the railway and the small villages should benefit. The two estuaries, together with intervening mountain streams drain the parish into the neighboring Irish Sea. Llangelynin church stands at 50 metres above the sea on its clifftop but the parish covers land rising to 459 metres on Pen y Garn. Llangelynin parish was, like most Merioneth parishes, rather extensive covering just short of 8,600 acres which would have supported a population of close to 1,000 parishioners. Like most of Wales Llangelynin is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Celynin's church has one of the most romantic and picturesque location in Wales, a ledge betwixt the A483 and the railway line but looking out across the Bay of Carmarthen towards the distant Lleyn Peninsula and Bardsey Island. The church is ancient with a single slit window leading to a Norman Romanesque arch which dates the church to c1200 as simple box in the local stone. It was not until the 16th century that further changes were wrought with the addition of a gable to raise the roof-line and new windows added. The bell carries the date of 1660 but is pre-dated by the curiously placed bell-cote which sits above the southern porch. Further windows were replaced in the 18th century but the church gradually fell into decay as the more populous village of Llwyngwril usurped its status. That neglect has been beneficial as in 1917 the church was brought back to good order and the benign neglect preserved the quality of the interior, further restorations in 1970 and 2004 have created a small church well worth a visit. The church is prominently signed from the A483 and a roughly surfaced road leads to parking around the adjoining farms, the church stands within a churchyard devoid of any obstacles for the photographer,