England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Llansantffraid yn Elfael St Bridget

The Parish

The parish of Llansantffraid yn Elfael, the are many variations in spelling of this, lies in southwestern Radnorshire not to far from its border with neighbouring Breconshire. Llansantffraid yn Elfael is located roughly 5 miles northeast of the Breconshire market town of Builth Wells and sits just under a mile north of the A481 road which links Builth Wells through towards New Radnor and the A44. Llansantffraid yn Elfael, itself, is a rather small crossroads settlement of a few properties clustered around a staggered junction of lanes but the parish is an extensive one incorporating large tracts of upland and the whole is dotted with farmsteads. There is a wide range of topography within the parish from lush and fertile pastures and small arable fields in the valley to the extensive sheep-walks that top the nearby Carneddau and Gilwain Hills, in addition to the farming there would also have been some small scale extractive quarrying for local building stone and minerals. Llansantffraid yn Elfael is drained eastwards by a small brook to join the nearby River Edw, the latter eventually turns back west to meet the Wye at Aberedw, after a long journey the Wye disgorges into the outer Bristol Channel through the port of Chepstow. The hamlet of Llansantffraid yn Elfael is already at a good height, some 260 metres above the sea whilst upland terrain to the west and northwest rise to the lofty height of 440 metres on the above named hills. Covering close to 4,000 acres Llansantffraid yn Elfael parish was typical of upland areas of Wales and within that acreage would have supported a population of around 300 parishioners. Like most of Wales Llansantffraid yn Elfael is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Bridget's church sits to the northeast of the hamlet of Llansantffraid yn Elfael on the western side of the lane heading for Frank's Bridge. Sadly the present church is not the venue for the marriages listed here having been completely rebuilt in the 1890s. Pevsner was clearly not impressed with its low-clung appearance and described the interior as "much more likeable than the exterior". Consisting simply of a single chamber topped by a small western bellcote the church uses a late 14th century Perpendicular-type style for its design. The church sits within a typical circular "llan", indicative of an early Christian site, a fact enhanced by the magnificent circle of yews which surround the church. Whilst the lane is very narrow it is welcome to find a small triangular parking area outside the metal gates granting entry, the churchyard, once within the yews, has limited viewing angles due to its compact size. At the time of going to press there has been discussion of deconsecration and even sale of this church due to the small size of the congregation, it is not known how this might impact access in the future.