England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llanvihangel Gobion St Michael

The Parish

The parish of Llanvihangel Gobion, also known as Llanvihangel-Nigh-Usk, lies in the northwestern portion of central Monmouthshire roughly 4 miles southeast of the market town of Abergavenny. Llanvihangel Gobion sits immediately south of the A40 road which links Abergavenny with Monmouth. Llanvihangel Gobion is a tiny place, a small cluster at a crossroads on the B4598 road which heads for Usk and a few more properties by the church, all sits within a broad meander of the River Usk (Afon Wysg). Llanvihangel Gobion is one of the smallest parishes in its county and the land is almost entirely farmland with pastoral methods dominant. Modern developments have turned the A40 into a dual-carriageway highway but since Llanvihangel Gobion has no exit that road merely speeds traffic onwards. Llanvihangel Gobion is drained southwards by the Usk which passes through the market town of the same name to eventually reach the outer Bristol Channel through the port of Newport. Llanvihangel Gobion is sited at around 40 metres above the sea, westwards views are dominated by the hills rising above the industrial town of Blaenavon with the iconic Blorenge at 561 metres. A tiny parish of just 354 acres it would have barely supported a population of close to 100 parishioners. Like most of Wales Llanvihangel Gobion is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Michael's church sits west of the B4598 accessed along a dead-end lane and with a small coterie of farms and cottages with it. Whilst most of the church dates from the Perpendicular era of the 15th century Pevsner speculates that its southern doorway, which shows sunk chamfer moulding pre-dates that time, possibly from the early 14th century. Like many small churches in Wales the nave and chancel are combined into a single chamber, that core being augmented with a southern porch, which carries an open timber gable, a lean-to northern aisle and a short western tower capped with a pyramidal roof. The church was late in receiving a restoration which fell in 1925 and was light and sensitive. The lane which leads to the church carries a simple white sign indicating the way to the church, parking is straightforward once past the farmstead. The church is well-screened by bordering trees and sits in a compact churchyard where only limited aspects are available for the photographer.