St Fflewin's Church, Llanfflewin (sometimes referred to as St Fflewyn's Church, Llanfflewyn) is a small rural church, situated by a farm in
Anglesey
Anglesey ( ; ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the Principal areas of Wales, county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island () and some islets and Skerry, sker ...
, Wales. The first church on the site is said to have been built by
St Fflewin in 630, but the present building has no structural features dating from before the 18th century, although the church has a font from the 14th or 15th century and part of an inscribed medieval gravestone has been reused in a window sill.
The church is still used for worship by the
Church in Wales
The Church in Wales () is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.
The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The position is currently held b ...
, and is one of five churches in a combined
benefice
A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
. It is a
Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
, a national designation given to "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them",
because it is a "simple rural church built on Medieval foundations".
A 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey said that it is a "typical, well-preserved rural church and is well worth a visit."
[
]
History and location
St Fflewin, to whom the church is dedicated, was a Christian who was active in the 6th century. He is described as the son of Ithel Hael, who came to Britain from Armorica
In ancient times, Armorica or Aremorica (Gaulish: ; ; ) was a region of Gaul between the Seine and the Loire that includes the Brittany Peninsula, and much of historical Normandy.
Name
The name ''Armorica'' is a Latinized form of the Gauli ...
(present-day northern France) towards the end of the 5th century. He established a Christian site at the location of the present church in 630 (according to the Diocese of Bangor
The Diocese of Bangor is a Diocese#Church of England and Anglican Communion, diocese of the Church in Wales in North West Wales. The diocese covers Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and the western part of Montgomeryshire.
His ...
and a 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey), although a 19th-century guide to Wales by the writer Samuel Lewis says that it was sometime early in the 7th century.[ No part of a building from that period survives. There was a church here by 1254, since it is recorded in the ]Norwich Taxation
Annates ( or ; , from ', "year") were a payment from the recipient of an Catholic Church, ecclesiastical benefice to the collating authorities. Eventually, they consisted of half or the whole of the first year's profits of a benefice; after the ap ...
of that year. The present building is thought by Cadw
(, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage ...
(the Welsh Government
The Welsh Government ( ) is the Executive (government), executive arm of the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of Cabinet secretary, cabinet secretaries and Minister of State, ministers. It is led by the F ...
body responsible for the built heritage of Wales) to be "probably built upon Medieval foundations", albeit that the earliest dateable feature of the structure is from the late 18th century.[ After some repairs in the early part of the 19th century, St Fflewin's was partially rebuilt ("judiciously", says a 2009 guide to the buildings of north-west Wales)][ in 1864 and further restored during the 1930s.][ The Welsh poet and clergyman Morris Williams (better known by his bardic name "Nicander") was rector here from 1859 until his death in 1874; he was buried at Llanrhuddlad, one of the other Anglesey churches for which he had responsibility.][
The church is isolated, located in the countryside of north Anglesey by a farm, about from Llanrhuddlad, in an area of Anglesey known as Mynydd Mechell.][ Llanfflewin takes its name from the church: the Welsh word ' originally meant "enclosure" and then "church", so "Llanfflewin" means "Church of Fflewin".] It is set within a raised circular enclosure, with an arched lychgate
A lychgate (from Old English ''līc'', corpse) or resurrection gate is a covered gateway found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard. Examples also exist outside the British Isles in places such as Newfoundland, the ...
(possibly of 17th-century date). It is still in use for worship, and belongs to the Church in Wales
The Church in Wales () is an Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.
The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The position is currently held b ...
, as one of five churches in the combined benefice
A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
of Llanfechell with Bodewryd with Rhosbeirio with Llanfflewin and Llanbadrig.[ It is within the ]deanery
A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...
of Twrcelyn, the archdeaconry
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that of mo ...
of Bangor and the Diocese of Bangor
The Diocese of Bangor is a Diocese#Church of England and Anglican Communion, diocese of the Church in Wales in North West Wales. The diocese covers Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and the western part of Montgomeryshire.
His ...
. As of 2012, the rector is Canon G W Edwards.
Architecture and fittings
The church, which is small and rectangular, has no internal division between the nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
and the chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
.[ It measures 47 feet 6 inches by 14 feet 9 inches (14.5 by 4.5 m).] It is built of rubble masonry
Rubble masonry or rubble stone is rough, uneven building stone not laid in regular courses. It may fill the core of a wall which is faced with unit masonry such as brick or ashlar. Some medieval cathedral walls have outer shells of ashlar wi ...
, and the roof is made of slate; there is a gabled bellcote at the west end of the roof. The roof timbers can be seen from the inside. Entrance to the church is through a porch with a rounded arch at the west end of the south wall, and there is a vestry, with one window, at the west end of the north wall.[
The windows in the south and north walls are rectangular pairs; the window in the east wall is in the form of a rounded arch, with two lights (sections of window separated by ]mullion
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid sup ...
s). The sill of the window has a fragment of a medieval gravestone (dating from some time after 1300) set into it, inscribed ''HIC IACET MADOCUS''.[ The church has a "roughly dressed"][ font with nine sides, dating from the 14th or 15th century.][ There are a number of slate memorial tablets on the north and south walls from the 18th century.][ A 1937 survey by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire also recorded a ]bier
A bier is a stand on which a corpse, coffin, or casket containing a corpse is placed to lie in state or to be carried to its final disposition.''The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language'' (American Heritage Publishing Co., In ...
, with the initials "W.W." and the date 1784, and an Elizabethan silver cup with a cover-paten
A paten or diskos is a small plate used for the celebration of the Eucharist (as in a mass). It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium.
Western usage
In many Wes ...
, the paten having an engraved date of 1574. It also noted a wooden pitch pipe and wooden shovel, both dating from the late 18th century.[
]
Assessment
The church has national recognition and statutory protection from alteration as it has been designated by Cadw (on behalf of the National Assembly for Wales
The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolve ...
) as a Grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
– the lowest of the three grades of listing, designating "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them".[ It was given this status on 12 May 1970, and has been listed because it is "a simple rural church built on Medieval foundations". Cadw also notes that it retains "the vernacular character of a pre gothic revival church".][
Samuel Lewis said that the church, which he described as "a plain edifice", was "beautifully situated near a small lake, and surrounded with pleasing scenery".] The Welsh politician and church historian Sir Stephen Glynne visited the church on 4 September 1867. He said that the church "has been so completely modernised, that it is doubtful whether any original feature remains but the bell-gable and one single light window in the north wall". He said that the font was of "singular design": "octagonal, swelling downwards and each face concave."[ He also said that the site was "wild and striking."][ A 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey says that it is "a typical, well-preserved rural church and is well worth a visit."][
]
References
;Notes
;Citations
External links
Photographs of the church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Fflewins Church Llanfflewin
Llanfflewin, St Fflewin
18th-century churches in the United Kingdom
Fflewin
Mechell, Anglesey