England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llanychaer St David

The Parish

The parish of Llanychaer lies centrally in northern Pembrokeshire not too far from its northern Irish Sea coastline. Llanychaer is located roughly 2 miles southeast of the port of Fishguard and sits on the B4313 road that links Fishguard with Narberth. There is very little to Llanychaer a collection of properties including the inn sit on the B4313 whilst across the Afon Gwaun's three-arched bridge there are scattered farms and cottages in a strongly undulating countryside. Llanychaer would have typically earned its income from farming with pastoral farming dominant in these semi-mountainous areas, the river valley holding cattle whilst sheep graze the moorland pastures on higher ground. The area has ancient trappings with many archaeological features around including standing stones to the north east and traces of ancient enclosures to the southwest. The parish is drained northwestwards by the Afon Gwaun which reaches the Irish Sea through nearby Fishguuard. Llanychaer is sited at around 60 metres at the bridge but is a hilly parish with land rising steeply away from the river to local high points of over 300 metres on nearby Carn Fawr. Covering just under 2,100 acres, by Pembrokeshire standards, Llanychaer was quite a small upland parish which would have supported a population of around 200 parishioners.

The Church

St David's church sits some way to the southeast of the bridge accessed by a very narrow lane, which becomes a partially surfaced footpath after the church, paralleling the incised valley of the Afon Aer, a tributary of the Afon Gwaun. Sadly this is not some medieval masterpiece, nor indeed the venue for these marriages, as the church was completely demolished and rebuilt on a new layout in 1876. Using the iconic green Preseli stone the simple nave and chancel are augmented bya small southern transept and a tall western bellcote. The church is clearly not of great architectural interest for Pevsner as his account is short and merely descriptive. The narrow lane leaves the B4313 at a crossroads east of the main part of the village, it climbs steeply through dense woodland and, thankfully, ends at a small car park allowing a leisurely visit. A set of metal gates grants entry to what is little more than a woodland glade forming the churchyard, fortunately it doesn't need to be broad to allow sufficient views of a small church.