Llangennith ( cy, Llangenydd/Llangynydd) is a village in the City and County of

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

. It is located in the

Gower Gower ( cy, Gŵyr) or the Gower Peninsula () in southwest Wales, projects towards the Bristol Channel. It is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan. In 1956, the majority of Gower became the first area in the United Kingdom ...

. Moor Lane leads westwards to a caravan park near

Rhossili Bay Rhossili ( cy, Rhosili; ) is both a small village and a community on the southwestern tip of the Gower Peninsula in Wales. It is within the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the United Kingdom. The village has a community council and i ...

and Burrows Lane leads northwards to a caravan park overlooking Broughton Bay. The village has a scattering of houses, centred on St

Cenydd Saint Cenydd (Modern cy, Cennydd; french: Kinède; century), sometimes anglicised as Saint Kenneth, was a Christian hermit on the Gower Peninsula in Wales, where he is credited with the foundation of the church at Llangennith. In B ...

's church, and the King's Head pub.

History

Llangennith clusters around a central village green and the church of Saint

(also Kyned/Cynydd) - the largest in Gower - which was founded in the 6th century, in the days of the undivided Church. According to legend, the church was established as a hermitage by St Cenydd; but in 986 the early buildings were destroyed by

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

. The present structure dates from the 12th century - it was consecrated in 1102 - when Norman war-lords were building castles and churches all over Gower, as elsewhere in Britain. The large fortified square tower is unusually placed north of the nave in which is a filled in, low, eastern arch, likely associated with a small priory which was attached through the Middle Ages. The church is the reputed burial place of

Iestyn ap Gwrgant Iestyn ap Gwrgant (or Jestyn ap Gwrgant) ( eng, Iestyn, son of Gwrgant) (1014 – 1093) was the last ruler of the Welsh kingdom of Morgannwg, which encompassed the counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. Lineage Iestyn ap Gwrgant was the las ...

, the last ruler of the Welsh kingdom of

Morgannwg Morgannwg was a medieval Welsh kingdom formed via the merger of the kingdoms of the Kingdom of Glywysing and the Kingdom of Gwent. Formation of Morgannwg First under King Morgan the Generous (fl. ) until the end of the reign of his descendant I ...

, who is said to have become a religious at Llangennith after being deposed by the Norman

Robert Fitzhamon Robert Fitzhamon (died March 1107), or Robert FitzHamon (literally, 'Robert, son of Hamon'), Seigneur de Creully in the Calvados region and Torigny in the Manche region of Normandy, was the first Norman feudal baron of Gloucester and the Norma ...

in 1090. The church contains the mutilated effigy of a 13th-century knight known locally as 'the Dolly Mare' and believed to represent a member of the de la Mere family who held lands nearby and a significant Norman font. The church interior was restored and remodelled in the 1880s, and the interior floor raised by several feet to counteract damp. The remodelling was relatively restrained and the church retains many original features. A recently rediscovered mediæval niche in the chancel arch displays a significant carved slab of around the 9th century, featuring intricate Celtic knots. This is legendarily the former gravestone of St Cenydd and, until the nineteenth-century remodelling, was set flat in the chancel floor. On the village green opposite the church gates is the reinforced mouth of a natural spring, St Cenydd's Well, on the upper capstone of which are carved faint traces of a cross. A short stroll south of the church is the ruined medieval village of Coety Green. Llangennith was at one time the most infamous, rough-and-ready village on the peninsula, its villagers referred to in

Gower dialect The Gower dialect refers to the older vocabulary or slang of the Gower Peninsula on the south Wales coast. It was Normanised/Anglicised relatively early after the Norman conquest of England. Relatively cut off from the Welsh hinterland, but with co ...

as 'Llangenny Oxen', always the first to rush to any shipwreck, particularly those in Rhossili Bay, and feuding with neighbouring villagers over any plunder they could find. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, when the British government introduced daylight saving, the villagers held a public meeting - and graciously voted to fall in line for a trial period of one month. In the churchyard are buried the Gower folk-singer, Phil Tanner, who died in 1950; and Anthony Eyre DFC (1918–1946).

Physical features

The beach is now mainly a centre for

surfers Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable ...

and forms the north half of

beach; the bay stretches for over three miles. Llangennith is a popular surfing location mainly because of consistent swells that accumulate in passage over the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. Several surfing schools exist providing lessons during the summer. The beach is backed by sand dunes, and at the north end is the island of

Burry Holms Burry Holms () ( cy, Ynys Lanwol), a tidal island with the height of () is at the northern end of Rhossili Bay in the Gower Peninsula, Wales. During spring and summer, Burry Holms is covered by flowers such as thrift and sea campion. Etymol ...

. There are gentle walks north-west to the coast over the sand dunes of Llangennith and Broughton Burrows. Sights to watch out for include Blue Pool, a rock pool which, in the right sea and sky conditions, takes a deep blue colour; the natural archway called Three Chimneys; and Culver Hole, a bone cave.

Notable residents

- saint *

Tracy Edwards Tracy Edwards, MBE (born 5 September 1962) is a British sailor. In 1989 she skippered the first all-female crew in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race, becoming the first woman to receive the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy and was appointed ...

- yachtswoman *

Ryan Jones Ryan Paul Jones (born 13 March 1981) is a Wales former international rugby union player who played at number eight, blindside flanker or second row. He was involved in three Grand Slam wins, in 2005, as captain in 2008, and 2012. He is one ...

- Wales Rugby International *

Phil Tanner Phil Tanner (16 February 1862 – 19 February 1950) was a traditional singer from Llangenith in the Gower Peninsula ( South Wales). Songs and singing style Tanner was an invaluable source of several once popular English language folk songs, ...

(1862–1950) 'The Gower Nightingale', folk singer *

Euros Lyn Euros Lyn (; born 1971) is a Welsh film and television director, best known for his work in ''Doctor Who'', '' Sherlock'', ''Black Mirror'', '' Daredevil'', ''His Dark Materials'' and '' Heartstopper''. Early life Lyn was born in Cardiff. His ...

- Television director

References

External links

St. Cenydd's Church, LlangennithLlangennith, Llanmadoc and Cheriton Community CouncilLlangennith, Llanmadoc and Cheriton community/parish magazine
village, community and regional information, current affairs and history {{authority control Villages in Swansea Populated places on the Gower Peninsula Surfing locations in Wales