St Peter's Church is a medieval church situated on the western side of the village of Newborough,

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 building dates from the early 14th century and underwent restorations in the 19th century. It was designated a

Grade II* 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 ...

-listed building on 30 January 1968. It has an interesting history and is the longest church on Anglesey.

History and location

St Peter's was originally known as Llananno. Some people believe that it was founded in about 500 AD by a noble couple, Amon of Dyfed and his wife Anna of Gwynedd. They were the parents of Saint Sampson, the abbot and patron saint of

Caldey Island Caldey Island (Welsh language, Welsh:''Ynys Bŷr'') is a small island near Tenby, Pembrokeshire, Wales, less than off the coast. With a recorded history going back over 1,500 years, it is one of the holy islands of Britain. A number of trad ...

in Pembrokeshire. Others say the church was dedicated to Saint Amo, sharing its dedication with

St Anno's Church, Llananno The Church of St Anno in Llananno, Powys, Wales, is a Redundant church, redundant church dating from the 14th century. Its medieval rood screen is considered "one of the great treasures of Welsh craftsmanship". A Listed building, Grade II* listed ...

in Radnorshire. Whatever the facts of the matter, the church is situated beside

Llys Rhosyr Llys Rhosyr, also known as "Cae Llys", is an archaeological site near Newborough in Anglesey; the ruins of a pre-Edwardian commotal court. History and description The Welsh word ''llys'' originally referred to an enclosed open-air space but ...

, the Anglesey residence of the Princes of Gwynedd, and is likely to have been associated with the royal court. The church walls are covered entirely with roughcast, which has hidden or destroyed evidence of the various building periods. It is thought that the chancel was built first, serving as a royal chapel, and dedicated to St Mary. A separate chapel was built end to end with it and dedicated to St Peter. Later these two buildings were united into one long building, the longest church in Anglesey. There are differences in roof height, roof structure and stonework between the two parts. The oldest parts of the church are the eastern side of 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 ...

and nave, which date from the early 14th century. The nave was extended to the west in either the late 15th or early 16th century. The structure was restored in 1850 and again in 1886. It was granted

-listed status on 30 January 1968, being considered to be a good example of a restored late medieval church. According to the Rev J Iorwerth Parry, the rector from 1942-75, the gritstone font dates to 1150 and is among the earliest in Wales. The rim of the font is chamfered and the surface is decorated with three rectangular carved panels containing 1) a crude interlaced cross with Stafford knots at the terminations; 2) two vertical rows of incised and interlaced loop work, and 3) a

Maltese cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which develope ...

formed of triangular knotwork with a central ring, apparently unfinished. A fourth panel is blank. According to Parry, the incisions on the stonework of the inner doorway "were probably made by archers sharpening their arrows while practising in the churchyard", and the worn stone benches beneath the present wooden seats would be similar to the only seating available at one time, and probably reserved for the "elderly and decrepit". As of 1975, there were two bells, one brought from Llanddwyn church when it closed in the late 1500s and the second from 1690. Both bells, which weigh 52kg each, were recast in 1892 in Whitechapel, London. There are gravestones in arches in the north and south wall of the chancel that are 14th century. One is a tapered stone with a floriated cross at the head and a running leaf pattern. The second has an effigy in high relief of a priest in mass vestments. Both have Latin inscriptions.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Newborough, Saint Peter 14th-century church buildings in Wales Grade II* listed churches in Anglesey