Capel Dewi, Llwynhendy

This ancient chapel, is mentioned in the Royal Commission on Ancient Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire. The Inventory of the County of Carmarthen No 347 lists Capel Dewi and describes some remains of a building near Llwynhendy thought to be those of a small chapel that was dedicated to Saint David. It is believed that this Chapel of Ease or a Dewi Chapel, built during the Age of Saints in the 6th century, was a pilgrimage chapel on the way to the monastery at St David’s. It was considered that two pilgrimages to St David’s (which was where the cathedral is now situated) was equivalent to one pilgrimage to Rome. During the reign of Edward I in 1282 a Chapel of Ease was mentioned at Llwynhendy and during 1553 the church is said to have possessed a silver chalice. In 1763, during the reign of George III, a reference was made to the Dewi Chapel being in ruins.

Before the 20th century, when the main road from Loughor to Llanelli went through an area called Paradise, close to Paradise Cottages, it passed the ancient chapel, but when a new road was constructed it went through the ruins.

In 1882 a new church was established by the Revd Anthony Britten, Vicar of Dafen, and was built over part of the ruins of the ancient Dewi Chapel.

On 23 October 1912, when the Antiquarian Society visited the site, ruins of a nave 40 feet by 13 feet and a chancel 12 feet 6 inches by 11 feet 6 inches were visible and it was noted that the crown of the intervening arch had fallen. Although the east window had disappeared, sufficient fragments remained, indicating that it had a deep splay to the interior. The north and west walls had disappeared and the walls on the south and east which remained to a height of about 8 feet, were about 2 feet 6 inches thick. A small opening at the north east corner could possibly have been an aumbrey. The chapel doorway had probably been on the south side.

St David’s, Llwynhendy

On 26 April 1882 St David’s Church was established on the site of the ancient Capel Dewi by the Vicar of Dafen the Rev Anthony Britten at a cost of £500. The first christenings were recorded in 1882, followed by marriages in 1839.

In the 20th century, when the A484 road from Loughor Bridge to Llanelli was constructed, it passed through the ruins of the ancient church of Dewi Sant and as a result St David’s church remained on one side of the new road and what remained of the ruins were on the other side in front of the Parish Hall that had been built in 1926.

The porch was added in the 1970s and the church, which was completely renovated in 1981, has beautiful stained glass windows.

St. David’s continues to serve a heavily populated area which includes five primary schools.

St David’s Parish Hall

This hall was built during the General Strike of 1926 by local voluntary labour and contributions and was used for the Sunday School and Mothers’ Union, and all manner of social gatherings. This once vibrant parish hall, like so many other important buildings, has fallen into disrepair and remains unoccupied, neglected and forlorn, awaiting demolition [2002].

St Illtyd’s, Pembrey (St Illtud’s, Pen Bre)

The Parish Church at Pembrey was dedicated to St Illtyd by Herwald, Bishop of Llandaff around 1066. This church, with buildings dating from the 13th to 15th centuries, is built on the site of the ancient church which was dedicated to St Illtyd at the same time the parish church at Llanelli was dedicated to St Elli.

In the tall tower there are three bells, dating from 1552 and there is an Elizabethan Chalice. The timber barrel roof dates from the 16th century, the hagioscope (squint) is a point of interest as well as the attractive 17th century communion rails. A grave in the churchyard commemorates a niece of the Empress Josephine Buonaparte, who drowned when the ship on which she was travelling foundered on Cefn Sidan Sands. A memorial to her can be seen at the church.

St Illtyd’s was the final resting place of the many seafarers. Most of the bodies lost at sea in Carmarthen Bay landed up on Cefn Sidan Sands and were buried in Pembrey churchyard.

A memorial at the church commemorates those who drowned when their ship La Jeune Emma was wrecked off Cefn Sidan Sands.

Captain James Hodder of Penzance, Cornwall, who was drowned when his ship was wrecked off Pembrey is remembered by a memorial.

Another seafarer's memorial is that of Robert Hall, aged 44, a Master Mariner of Sunderland, Co. of Durham. He commanded the Zenith of Sunderland which was lost off Burry Holmes Bar in the gale of the 8th January 1867 when all nine hands perished. The memorial stone was erected by the ship's owner.

Captain Edwin Bush, aged 35, of the Barque Path Finder of Swansea, was drowned at sea off Bootle, Cumberland, during a storm on 26th August 1881 whilst on his homeward voyage from the Bull River in South Africa. There is a memorial to him also.

James Smith of Scotland,son of John and Dina Smith of Wick, was drowned when SS Tynemouth fondered in the Bristol Channel on 1st January 1916. He was just 21 years old.

Catherine P Thomas, wife of R G Thomas of Akron, Ohio, USA, and daughter of William and Ann Phillips of Graig y Iarll, died suddenly at Liverpool on 20th March 1910 whilst on her way home after a short visit to her native land after 40 years in the States. She was aged 65 and left her husband and three daughters and six sons to mourn her loss.

Lady Mansel of Trimsaran erected a vault in regard to the memory of her “Deare deceased husband Sir Edward Mansel, Baronet who departed his life in London the 6 day of March Anno Domini 1719 in the 56 year of his age and was brought here to be interred with his family.” [The inscription has faded and the vault is decaying but it shows that the gentry were living in London and only came home to be buried amid great pomp and ceremony. The rents from their local estates went to pay for their high life and gambling in ‘far away’ London – their only interest in their estates, in most cases, was the revenue they obtained from their hard-pressed tenants.]

Industry is represented by the grave of industrialist Harold Ernest Trubshaw, MBE, DL, JP, who died on October 25th 1951, and Marcus Cautley Phillips his infant grandson died who died on February 5th 1947 are more recent memorials. [Ernest Trubshaw was living at Ael y Bryn, Llanelli, in 1891, was Chairman of the Board of Health and along with his brother-in-law Joseph Smith became involved in the Llanelli’s steel and tinplate industry.

St Gwynog’s, Llangennech

The ancient parish church of St Cennych or St Gwynog was first built on the present site in 1345 and has been rebuilt many times since. It is constructed of stone in the English style and the oldest church registers date to 1742. In the churchyard there is a yew tree – reputed to be between 450 and 500 years old.

In the churchyard can be seen memorials to Richard Janion Nevill, Edmund Morewood and David Evans.

The church was renovated in 1885 at a cost of £400, the nave was rebuilt in 1900 at a cost of over £3,000 and the chancel was renovated in 1908 at a cost of £2,000. There is a chancel, nave, north aisle, transept and north porch, and a western bell turret containing a peal of eight bells, presented by Alderman David Evans of Llangennech Park in 1902, to commemorate the Coronation of Edward VII.

In 1908 the altar was presented by Margaret John of Bronygarth in memory of her mother Margaret Jones of Porthmadoc. The organ was installed in 1908 by David Evans at a cost of £700. There are several stained glass windows, one of which was presented by David Evans’ daughters at a cost of £300 in 1909 to his memory.

The stained glass windows depict scenes from the life of Christ and the reredos behind the altar was given in memory of the fallen from the village in the First World War. The oldest item in the Church is the font, dating from the 16th century.

Sources

The Churches of Kidwelly Deanery by William Price.

History of Llangennech by Alwyn C Charles.