England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llanhilleth St Illtyd

The Parish

The parish of Llanhilleth lies in western Monmouthshire roughly 4 miles west of the industrial town of Pontypool and sitting within and above the Ebbw River. Llanhilleth sits on the opposite side of the river from the A467 road which links Newport with Abertillery. This is industrial Wales, the Valleys, where coal was king and the landscape changed beyond recognition between the 18th and 19th centuries. Llanhilleth village is typical of the district with terraces of miners' cottages paralleling the valley side  of both Llanhilleth, itself, and Brynithel to the north. Above the valley lies a landscape of pastoral fields within which sits the parish church. Prior to the industrial revolution this was a green valley of rich pastures, cattle grazed in the valley bottom whilst hardy sheep did the same on the rougher grassland of the ridges.Coal was of course the deciding factor and in 1850 the first shaft of Llanhilleth Colliery was sunk bringing rapid growth and supporting what became a small town until closure in 1969. Modern developments arrived too with the railway line from Newport to Ebbw Vale following the curves of the Ebbw River. Today everything is somewhat post-industrial with small industrial estates replacing the major employer, despite attempts to diversify the economy it remains a little deprived. The Ebbw River drains the parish southwards, passing through western Newport to reach the outer Bristol Channel. Llanhilleth is sited at around 140 metres above the sea at the river. the valley sides rise steeply to the ridges where land at over 400 metres is not uncommon, indeed the church, itself stands on the ridge at 355 metres. For its area Llanhilleth parish was rather small covering only 1,750 acres, its population of around 650 parishioners mushroomed with the opening of the colliery to several thousand. Like most of Wales Llanhilleth is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Illtyd's church stands high on the ridge-top to the northeast of Brynithel, the road passing simply known as St Illtyd after the church. The church was declared redundant in 1957 and occasionally functions as a meeting hall. The earliest mention of a church here comes from 9th century literature but today's church dates from the 13th century, a date of 1213 is given as the date of dedication, it's construction is attributed to Cistercian influence. Most of the remaining fabric of the church is, however, late medieval and probably reflects a major rebuild during the Perpendicular era. That style being shown well by the square-headed southern windows with their cinquefoiled lights. The western tower, complete with saddle-backed top, is, of course, the church's signature piece. Following closure due to subsidence caused by mining below the structure the church was stabilised and restored for posterity in 1984. The lane leading to the church rises steeply from Brynithel headed across lonely moors to Abersychan, the church stands on a flatter area below the actual summit, a small parking area sits west of the site allowing a relaxed visit. Metal gates grant access to a churchyard which is devoid of all obstacles for the photographer.