England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Mynachlog Ddu St Dogmaels

The Parish

The parish of Mynachlog Ddu lies in northeastern Pembrokeshire forming a stretch of the border with neighbouring Carmarthenshire. Mynachlog Ddu is a dispersed settlement stretching across an extensive area of the Preseli Mountains and located roughly 10 miles north of the small market town of Narberth. Mynachlog Ddu sits almost 3 miles west of the A478 road which connects Narberth with Cardigan. Mynachlog Ddu parish occupies the southeastern corner of the Preseli range, a mixture of upland farming exists on the moorland at height whilst lower down the parish has a mixed farming regime of both arable and pastures, in addition slate quarrying provides some income for the parishioners. Two rivers, the Afon Wern and Afon Tergwll, drain the eastern Preseli through the parish merging to form the eastern Cleddau which reaches the Irish Sea through the sheltered ria of Milford Haven. Mynachlog Ddu is sited at around 190 metres above the sea, the church at Llandre being some 30 metres lower, the parish includes some of the highest ground of the Preseli range reaching 467 metres on nearby Foel Feddau. Mynachlog Ddu parish, as already indicated, was an extensive largely upland parish covering over 4,000 acres it would have supported a population of around 500 parishioners. Like most of Wales Mynachlog Ddu is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Dogmaels' church sits at the subsidiary settlement of Llandre almost on the banks of the Afon Wern and almost 2 miles southwest of the place-name of Mynachlog Ddu on modern Ordnance Survey maps. The church sits within a circular "llan" and indication of an early Christian site. The church is unusual in having twin naves, the northern being slightly older than its neighbour. There is a little uncertainty about the exact date but the northern nave is believed to be 14th century whilst that of the south is 15th century. Both show the work of the Victorian restorers, the northern being restored in 1877 whilst the southern was largely rebuilt a decade later. The northern nave carries the western bellcote. The lane from Llangolman to Mynachlog Ddu crosses the Afon Wern with a smaller lane branching eastwards just beyond, the church sits by this junction within a hedged churchyard which has no obstacles to impede the photographer.