The earliest English & Welsh burial records go back to 1538, when Henry VIII made it law that parishes keep registers of baptisms, marriages and burials.
But a few records and medieval memorials survive to give us clues about people who were laid to rest in earlier times. #thread
The earliest record of a burial at St Beuno's, Penmorfa, is found in The History of the Gwydir Family, written by Sir John Wynn of Gwydir Castle in Caernarvonshire (1553-1626). The book, which was a big hit in 17thC North Wales, aimed to show that Sir John had royal ancestry.
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Sir John wrote that in abt 1450, Ivan Ap Meredith Ap Howell (constable of Criccieth) had joint command of Caernarfon but "dying at Caernarvon, his body was brought by sea (for the passages by land were shut by Owen Glyndwr's forces), to Penmorva, his parish church, to be buried."
However, as late as 1870, a stone marking an even older burial could be seen in St Beuno's. It was inscribed with the year 1322, and locals believed it to be the burial place of the owner of Rhiwaedog, an ancient estate in the Penllyn forest, about 30 miles from Penmorfa.
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There were many legends associated with Rhiwaedog. One such legend tells of an egg-sized crystal which was passed from generation to generation and is said to have had the power to foretell the death of the head of the household when its brilliant colour became clouded.
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Unfortunately, what became of the 14th century gravestone at St Beuno's after 1870 is a mystery.
But here's Penmorfa churchyard in Gwynedd today, glimpsed from the Lychgate.
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⭐️ Bonus tweet: The earliest dated version of The History of the Gwydir Family has been digitised by @nlwales. A gold star to anyone who can find the page mentioning Penmorfa ... ⭐️
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A marriage of faith, farming, landscape and language, placenames remind us of the personal, poetic origins of a location. This is true for Llangua.
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‘Llan’ is an enclosure usually associated with a church. The element which follows, most commonly a personal name, is mutated. Llangua is the church of St Cywa (English: Kew, Ciwa).
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Although there is no obvious physical evidence for a church being here before the 12th century, the survival of that placename is our first clue in understanding the development of the religious foundation on this site.
The sanctuary of St Philip’s, Caerdeon is a bejewelled Byzantine-esque treat.
In this thread, we will explore the history and details of this beautiful ensemble.
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Casting a kaleidoscope of jewel-toned light across the sanctuary, the east window was produced by the Kempe studio, one of Victorian Britain’s preeminent stained glass firms.
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Intriguingly, this stunning window takes the form of a continental church altarpiece: a crucifixion scene situated within a classical frame, adorned with sumptuous baroque details such as fluted golden Corinthians, foliate swags, and flaming urns.
With a 15th-century rood loft hovering over rows of 18th-century box pews, the interior of St David’s, Llangeview in Monmouthshire offers a glimpse into the forms of worship from two bygone ages.
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Spanning the entire width of the nave, the rood loft is a relic from the late medieval past. Before the Reformation, the rood loft would have carried the rood, a carving of Christ on the cross.
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Alongside Christ, there would have been carved depictions of the Virgin Mary and John the Apostle. Sadly, none of the medieval roods survived the Reformation.
Caught Moss-Handed: how the rare mosses on the roof of St James’s, Llangua enabled the conviction of two criminals in the 1950s.
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In the summer of 1951, a farmer spotted two men climbing on the roof of Llangua church at dusk. Unfortunately, by the time the police arrived, the men had fled the scene.
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After committing further criminals acts in the local area — namely the theft of tools and car batteries — the authorities caught the men, who turned out to be two brothers that had come to Monmouthshire from Cardiff.
Across the centuries, the saintly dedication of a parish church can change — and at Manordeifi in Pembrokeshire, it is thought that the church's dedication has shifted several times throughout its long history.
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A Christian place of worship at Manordeifi is believed to have stood on the site of the present church since the 7th century. The earliest church here was reportedly dedicated to St Llawddog.
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A son of the Prince of Usk and a renowned as a miracle-worker, Llawddog became the focus of a popular local saintly cult. As such, there are thought to be four other churches in the region that were also originally dedicated to him.