St Eugrad's Church, Llaneugrad
Encyclopedia
St Eugrad's Church, Llaneugrad is an isolated church near the village of Marian-glas
, in Anglesey
, north Wales. A church was supposedly founded here by St Eugrad in about 605, although the earliest parts of the present structure are the nave
, chancel
and chancel arch, which date from the 12th century. A side chapel was added to the north in the 16th century, and some moderate restoration work was carried out in the 19th century. It contains a 12th-century font
, a 13th-century carved stone depicting the crucifixion, and a memorial to one of the officers killed when the Royal Charter
sank off Anglesey in 1859.
The church is still used for worship by the Church in Wales
, one of four in a combined parish; one of the others is St Gallgo's Church, Llanallgo
, founded by Eugrad's brother. As of October 2011, there is no incumbent priest for the parish. St Eugrad's is a Grade II* listed building, a national designation given to "particularly important buildings of more than special interest", in particular because it is regarded as a "simple rural church" and "characteristic of the island", and because of the medieval fabric including the chancel arch, described as "a rare survivor of an early building date for the region."
, north Wales, in the community
of Llaneugrad. It is about half a mile (800 m) from the village of Marian-glas
and 5 miles (8 km) from the county town of Llangefni
. The isolated church, set within an oval churchyard, is located at the side of a lane leading to a house and farm. The community of Llaneugrad (a local government sub-division equivalent to a parish council in England) takes its name from the church: the Welsh word originally meant "enclosure" and then "church".
The 19th-century writer Samuel Lewis said that the church was supposedly founded in about 605 by St Eugrad. Eugrad was one of the sons of St Caw (a king from northern Britain) and a brother of St Gildas. He was also brother of St Gallgo, who founded the nearby church now dedicated to him
. St Gallgo's and St Eugrad's have been in the same parish since at least 1253.
No part of any building from the early 7th century survives. The oldest parts of the church are the walls of the nave
and the chancel
, which are from the 12th century. The north and south doorways were added in the 14th and 15th centuries respectively. A chapel was added to the north side of the chancel in the 16th century. This was at a time when a second altar was added to many churches to allow expressions of devotion to St Mary
, and side chapels from the late 15th and early 16th centuries can be found in many Anglesey churches. The 17th century saw the re-roofing of the nave. A porch was added to the south-west corner and a vestry
to the north-west in the middle of the 19th century; Some restoration work (described as "conservative") took place in the later part of the century.
St Eugrad's is still used for worship by the Church in Wales
. It is one of four churches in the combined benefice
of Llaneugrad and Llanallgo with Penrhosllugwy with Llanfihangel Tre'r Beirdd. It is within the deanery
of Twrcelyn, the archdeaconry of Bangor
and the Diocese of Bangor. As of October 2011, there is a vacancy for an incumbent priest. A service of Holy Communion or Morning Prayer (in English) is held at the church most Sunday mornings.
The poet Dafydd Trefor is recorded in a list of clergy for the Bangor diocese of 1504 as being rector of St Gallgo's and St Eugrad's, and signed himself as such in a deed of 1524. The poet and historian John Williams (better known by his bardic name
"Glanmor") was rector of the two churches from 1883 until his death in 1891.
with gritstone
dressings. The roof is made of slate and has stone coping
. It has a 17th-century bellcote at the west end containing one bell, and stone crosses at the tops of the gables. All of the church's external walls have been pebbledashed apart from the north and west wall of the chapel and the south porch. The vestry and the porch both have flat roofs and battlements.
The church is entered through the porch at the south-west corner of the nave, which leads to a round-arched 15th-century doorway. Internally, the nave and chancel are separated by a 12th-century arch, which is now covered in plaster. The nave is 18 feet 9 inches by 12 feet 6 inches (5.7 by 3.8 m). A doorway on the north side of the nave, from the 14th century, leads into the 19th-century vestry. Alongside the doorway there is a water stoup which shows signs of weathering, and a carved stone depicting the crucifixion. It shows a "crudely carved" figure on a wheel cross, and is probably from the 13th century. It was previously set in a recess above the south door. The plain baptismal font
, thought to be from the 12th century, is at the west end of the nave.
The chancel measures 12 feet 9 inches by 10 feet 6 inches (3.9 by 3.2 m). Its roof is from the 16th century and has its truss
es closer together than the 17th-century nave roof. The south wall of the chancel has a decorated wooden panel dated 1644, which used to be part of a pulpit. The north wall was removed when the chapel was added, and a beam placed across the opening. The chapel measures 20 feet by 12 feet 9 inches (6.1 by 3.9 m). Its roof is also from the 16th century and is similar to the nave roof. There is a blocked 16th-century doorway with a pointed arch on the chapel's west side.
The windows mainly date from the 19th century. The south wall of the nave has a blocked-up round-headed window from the 12th century. The 19th-century east window has three lights (sections of window separated vertically by mullion
s) topped by tracery
in trefoil
shapes (decorative stonework in a three-leaf circular pattern). The chapel's north and west window are similar. The north window in the vestry has details similar to those of the blocked nave window, and reuses some medieval material in the window sill. There is no stained glass in the church; all the windows have clear glass.
The church furniture (pews, pulpit, reading desk and chancel rail) is from the 19th century; all the items are all decorated with trefoil holes. A survey of church plate within the Bangor diocese in 1906 recorded some plain silver-plated items (chalice
, paten
, flagon and alms dish) without inscriptions or dates.
There are various 18th-century memorials, and some from the 19th and 20th centuries honouring members of the Williams family upon whose land the church stands. John Groome, the Fourth Officer of the Royal Charter
(which sank off the east coast of Anglesey in 1859 with the loss of over 440 lives) is remembered with a stone memorial in Art Nouveau
style.
(the Welsh Assembly Government
body responsible for the built heritage of Wales and the inclusion of Welsh buildings on the statutory lists) also notes the chancel arch, commenting that it "represents a rare survivor of an early building date for the region", the 13th-century cruxifixion stone and the 16th-century chancel roof and chapel.
The 19th-century Anglesey historian Angharad Llwyd
described the church in 1833 as "a small but stately edifice, of lofty proportions and venerable appearance." The clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones
visited in 1844, and later wrote that "this little edifice is one of the simplest in the island", although he added that "the plan of the building has been rendered very anomalous" because of the erection of the chapel, "as large as the nave", on the north side of the chancel. He noted the "rudely sculptured crucifixal figure", suggesting that it may have come from the churchyard cross. At the time of his visit, he said that the church "was in a state of great neglect" but deserved to be "carefully preserved" because of its "architectural pecularities".
A 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey comments that the nave and chancel both have "considerable headroom", and notes the "very large beam" between the chancel and chapel. It describes the porch as "unusual" because of its flat roof and castellation. A 2009 guide to the buildings of the region describes St Eugrad's as "very small", adding that it is "small enough to have preserved its plan from the Early Christian Church". It comments that the north and south doorways are "obscured" by the "clumsily battlemented" porch and vestry.
Marian-glas
Marian-glas is a village in Anglesey, in north-west Wales....
, in Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, north Wales. A church was supposedly founded here by St Eugrad in about 605, although the earliest parts of the present structure are the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and chancel arch, which date from the 12th century. A side chapel was added to the north in the 16th century, and some moderate restoration work was carried out in the 19th century. It contains a 12th-century font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
, a 13th-century carved stone depicting the crucifixion, and a memorial to one of the officers killed when the Royal Charter
Royal Charter (ship)
The Royal Charter was a steam clipper which was wrecked off the beach of Porth Alerth in Dulas Bay on the north-east coast of Anglesey on 26 October 1859. The precise number of dead is uncertain as the passenger list was lost in the wreck but about 459 lives were lost, the highest death toll of any...
sank off Anglesey in 1859.
The church is still used for worship by the Church in Wales
Church in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
, one of four in a combined parish; one of the others is St Gallgo's Church, Llanallgo
St Gallgo's Church, Llanallgo
St Gallgo's Church, Llanallgo is a small church near the village of Llanallgo, on the east coast of Anglesey, north Wales. The chancel and transepts, which are the oldest features of the present building, date from the late 15th century, but there has been a church on the site since the 6th or...
, founded by Eugrad's brother. As of October 2011, there is no incumbent priest for the parish. St Eugrad's is a Grade II* listed building, a national designation given to "particularly important buildings of more than special interest", in particular because it is regarded as a "simple rural church" and "characteristic of the island", and because of the medieval fabric including the chancel arch, described as "a rare survivor of an early building date for the region."
History and location
St Eugrad's Church is in the countryside in the north-east of AngleseyAnglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, north Wales, in the community
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
of Llaneugrad. It is about half a mile (800 m) from the village of Marian-glas
Marian-glas
Marian-glas is a village in Anglesey, in north-west Wales....
and 5 miles (8 km) from the county town of Llangefni
Llangefni
Llangefni is the county town of Anglesey in Wales and contains the principal offices of the Isle of Anglesey County Council. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of Llangefni was 4,662 people and it is the second largest settlement on the island...
. The isolated church, set within an oval churchyard, is located at the side of a lane leading to a house and farm. The community of Llaneugrad (a local government sub-division equivalent to a parish council in England) takes its name from the church: the Welsh word originally meant "enclosure" and then "church".
The 19th-century writer Samuel Lewis said that the church was supposedly founded in about 605 by St Eugrad. Eugrad was one of the sons of St Caw (a king from northern Britain) and a brother of St Gildas. He was also brother of St Gallgo, who founded the nearby church now dedicated to him
St Gallgo's Church, Llanallgo
St Gallgo's Church, Llanallgo is a small church near the village of Llanallgo, on the east coast of Anglesey, north Wales. The chancel and transepts, which are the oldest features of the present building, date from the late 15th century, but there has been a church on the site since the 6th or...
. St Gallgo's and St Eugrad's have been in the same parish since at least 1253.
No part of any building from the early 7th century survives. The oldest parts of the church are the walls of the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, which are from the 12th century. The north and south doorways were added in the 14th and 15th centuries respectively. A chapel was added to the north side of the chancel in the 16th century. This was at a time when a second altar was added to many churches to allow expressions of devotion to St Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
, and side chapels from the late 15th and early 16th centuries can be found in many Anglesey churches. The 17th century saw the re-roofing of the nave. A porch was added to the south-west corner and a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
to the north-west in the middle of the 19th century; Some restoration work (described as "conservative") took place in the later part of the century.
St Eugrad's is still used for worship by the Church in Wales
Church in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
. It is one of four churches in the combined benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
of Llaneugrad and Llanallgo with Penrhosllugwy with Llanfihangel Tre'r Beirdd. It is within the deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
of Twrcelyn, the archdeaconry of Bangor
Bangor, Gwynedd
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
and the Diocese of Bangor. As of October 2011, there is a vacancy for an incumbent priest. A service of Holy Communion or Morning Prayer (in English) is held at the church most Sunday mornings.
The poet Dafydd Trefor is recorded in a list of clergy for the Bangor diocese of 1504 as being rector of St Gallgo's and St Eugrad's, and signed himself as such in a deed of 1524. The poet and historian John Williams (better known by his bardic name
Bardic name
A bardic name is a pseudonym, used in Wales, Cornwall and Brittany, by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement....
"Glanmor") was rector of the two churches from 1883 until his death in 1891.
Architecture and fittings
St Eugrad's is built in Decorated style using rubble masonryRubble masonry
Rubble masonry is rough, unhewn building stone set in mortar, but not laid in regular courses. It may appear as the outer surface of a wall or may fill the core of a wall which is faced with unit masonry such as brick or cut stone....
with gritstone
Gritstone
Gritstone or Grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. This term is especially applied to such sandstones that are quarried for building material. British gritstone was used for millstones to mill flour, to grind wood into pulp for paper and for grindstones to sharpen blades. "Grit" is...
dressings. The roof is made of slate and has stone coping
Coping (architecture)
Coping , consists of the capping or covering of a wall.A splayed or wedge coping slopes in a single direction; a saddle coping slopes to either side of a central high point....
. It has a 17th-century bellcote at the west end containing one bell, and stone crosses at the tops of the gables. All of the church's external walls have been pebbledashed apart from the north and west wall of the chapel and the south porch. The vestry and the porch both have flat roofs and battlements.
The church is entered through the porch at the south-west corner of the nave, which leads to a round-arched 15th-century doorway. Internally, the nave and chancel are separated by a 12th-century arch, which is now covered in plaster. The nave is 18 feet 9 inches by 12 feet 6 inches (5.7 by 3.8 m). A doorway on the north side of the nave, from the 14th century, leads into the 19th-century vestry. Alongside the doorway there is a water stoup which shows signs of weathering, and a carved stone depicting the crucifixion. It shows a "crudely carved" figure on a wheel cross, and is probably from the 13th century. It was previously set in a recess above the south door. The plain baptismal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
, thought to be from the 12th century, is at the west end of the nave.
The chancel measures 12 feet 9 inches by 10 feet 6 inches (3.9 by 3.2 m). Its roof is from the 16th century and has its truss
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
es closer together than the 17th-century nave roof. The south wall of the chancel has a decorated wooden panel dated 1644, which used to be part of a pulpit. The north wall was removed when the chapel was added, and a beam placed across the opening. The chapel measures 20 feet by 12 feet 9 inches (6.1 by 3.9 m). Its roof is also from the 16th century and is similar to the nave roof. There is a blocked 16th-century doorway with a pointed arch on the chapel's west side.
The windows mainly date from the 19th century. The south wall of the nave has a blocked-up round-headed window from the 12th century. The 19th-century east window has three lights (sections of window separated vertically by mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
s) topped by tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
in trefoil
Trefoil
Trefoil is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used in architecture and Christian symbolism...
shapes (decorative stonework in a three-leaf circular pattern). The chapel's north and west window are similar. The north window in the vestry has details similar to those of the blocked nave window, and reuses some medieval material in the window sill. There is no stained glass in the church; all the windows have clear glass.
The church furniture (pews, pulpit, reading desk and chancel rail) is from the 19th century; all the items are all decorated with trefoil holes. A survey of church plate within the Bangor diocese in 1906 recorded some plain silver-plated items (chalice
Chalice
A chalice is a goblet or footed cup intended to hold a drink. This can also refer to;* Holy Chalice, the vessel which Jesus used at the Last Supper to serve the wine* Chalice , a type of smoking pipe...
, paten
Paten
A paten, or diskos, is a small plate, usually made of silver or gold, used to hold Eucharistic bread which is to be consecrated. It is generally used during the service itself, while the reserved hosts are stored in the Tabernacle in a ciborium....
, flagon and alms dish) without inscriptions or dates.
There are various 18th-century memorials, and some from the 19th and 20th centuries honouring members of the Williams family upon whose land the church stands. John Groome, the Fourth Officer of the Royal Charter
Royal Charter (ship)
The Royal Charter was a steam clipper which was wrecked off the beach of Porth Alerth in Dulas Bay on the north-east coast of Anglesey on 26 October 1859. The precise number of dead is uncertain as the passenger list was lost in the wreck but about 459 lives were lost, the highest death toll of any...
(which sank off the east coast of Anglesey in 1859 with the loss of over 440 lives) is remembered with a stone memorial in Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
style.
Assessment
The church has national recognition and statutory protection from alteration as it has been designated as a Grade II* listed building – the second-highest of the three grades of listing, designating "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". It was given this status on 12 May 1970, and has been listed as "a simple rural church (characteristic of the island)" which is "substantially 12th-century in character and fabric". CadwCadw
-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
(the Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
body responsible for the built heritage of Wales and the inclusion of Welsh buildings on the statutory lists) also notes the chancel arch, commenting that it "represents a rare survivor of an early building date for the region", the 13th-century cruxifixion stone and the 16th-century chancel roof and chapel.
The 19th-century Anglesey historian Angharad Llwyd
Angharad Llwyd
Angharad Llwyd was a Welsh antiquary and a prizewinner at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.She was born at Caerwys in Flintshire, the daughter of Rev. John Lloyd, himself a noted antiquary. Her essay entitled Catalogue of Welsh Manuscripts, etc. in North Wales won a prize at the Welshpool...
described the church in 1833 as "a small but stately edifice, of lofty proportions and venerable appearance." The clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones
Harry Longueville Jones
-Life:Jones was the son of Edward Jones by Charlotte Elizabeth Stephens, was born in Piccadilly, London, in 1806. His father was second son of Captain Thomas Jones of Wrexham, who adopted the additional name of Longueville on succeeding to a portion of the Longueville estates in Shropshire. Jones...
visited in 1844, and later wrote that "this little edifice is one of the simplest in the island", although he added that "the plan of the building has been rendered very anomalous" because of the erection of the chapel, "as large as the nave", on the north side of the chancel. He noted the "rudely sculptured crucifixal figure", suggesting that it may have come from the churchyard cross. At the time of his visit, he said that the church "was in a state of great neglect" but deserved to be "carefully preserved" because of its "architectural pecularities".
A 2006 guide to the churches of Anglesey comments that the nave and chancel both have "considerable headroom", and notes the "very large beam" between the chancel and chapel. It describes the porch as "unusual" because of its flat roof and castellation. A 2009 guide to the buildings of the region describes St Eugrad's as "very small", adding that it is "small enough to have preserved its plan from the Early Christian Church". It comments that the north and south doorways are "obscured" by the "clumsily battlemented" porch and vestry.