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Llangwstenin

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"LLANGWSTENNIN, (or Llan-cystenyn), a parish in the hundred of Creuddyn, county Carnarvon, 2 miles N.E. of Conway, its post town and railway station on the Chester and Holyhead line, and 7 from Abergele. The village, which is small, is situated on the northern coast, and the river Conway flows through the parish. Here are copper mines, in which a large proportion of the people are employed. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of St. Asaph, value £145, in the patronage of the bishop. The church, dedicated to St. Constantine, is erected on the site of a former one, which tradition says was founded by the Emperor Constantine in the early part of the 4th century. The parochial charities produce about £16 per annum." [From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]

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Church History

Church and chapel data from The Religious census of 1851 : A Calendar of the returns relating to Wales, Vol 11, North Wales. Ed. by Ieuan Gwynedd Jones, UWP, 1981. The names given towards the end of each entry are those of the informants.

Llangwstenin Parish; Statistics; Area 1314 acres; Population 327 males, 330 females, total 657

  • Llangwstinin Parish Church        Rebuilt 1843     Attendnace - no figures given    Services in Welsh                E Roberts, Minister
  • Ainon Chapel, Particular Baptist           Erected 1815         Attendance - morning 70 scholars, afternoon 120, evening 160             Thos Rees Davies, Baptist Minister, Glanwddau, nr Mochdre
  • Bryn Chapel, Calvinistic Methodist Connection              Erected 1819       Attendance - morning 83 scholars, afternoon 150, evening 66 scholars                 Robert Roberts, Elder, Pabo Bach
  • Morfa, Welsh Calvinistic Methodist           Erected 1844               Attendance - 50 + 48 scholars                  Elias Roberts, Deacon, Twyll y llwynog

      Handbell from old Llangystennin Church - on the People's Collection Wales site
      "Handbell of cast bronze from the old church at Llangystennin, which was demolished in 1843"  [which fits in with the above rebuild grant application in 1841-44]

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        Church Records

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        Description & Travel

        Llangystennin - on Wikipedia

        Mochdre - on Wikipedia

        You can see pictures of Llangwstenin which are provided by:

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        Gazetteers

        LLANGWSTENYN, or LLANGWYSTENNIN (LLAN-GYSTENNYN), a parish in the hundred of CREUDDYN, county of CARNARVON, NORTH WALES, on the road from Chester to Holyhead, 2 miles (E. N. E.) from Aberconway, containing 643 inhabitants. This parish is pleasantly situated at the entrance to the Vale of Conway, and on the eastern bank of that river, near its mouth : it is of small extent, and contains no village; the houses, which are few in number, lying scattered over its surface : formerly it was divided into the two townships of Tre Iorwerth and Llanwdden, which, on account of the small value of the tithes at that time, were united, and their boundaries are not now accurately known. Indications of copper-ore exist in several parts, and spirited efforts are now in progress for obtaining it, which are likely to produce a successful result. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the archdeaconry and diocese of St. Asaph, endowed with £400 royal bounty, and £ 1000 parliamentary grant, and in the patronage of the Bishop of St.Asaph. The church, dedicated to St. Constantine, is a small plain structure, situated in a pleasing valley close to the boundary line between the counties of Carnarvon and Denbigh, and said to be the first Christian church erected in Wales: it is conjectured to have been founded by Constantine the Great, who died in the year 330. Henry III. was commanded by the pope to do penance in this church, but was subsequently absolved, on payment of a fine of five hundred marks of silver. There are places of worship for Baptists and Calvinistic Methodists. Llangwstenyn participates, in conjunction with the parishes of Aberconway, Eglwys-Rhos, and Llandudno, in the gift of Lewis Owen, Esq., who, by will dated September 4th, 1623, assigned the rectorial tithes of the parish of Aberconway, in trust, to be equally divided between the Vicar of that parish and the poor of all the four. The amount resulting to this parish, in the year 1830, was £ 16, which was distributed in money and clothes to the poor on St. Thomas' day. The average annual expenditure for the maintenance of the poor is £181. 3. ( A Topographical Dictionary of Wales by Samuel Lewis, 1833)
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        Maps

        Gwynedd Family History Society have a diagram of the ecclesiastical parishes of Caernarfonshire (under Parishes)

        You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SH810790 (Lat/Lon: 53.294231, -3.786121), Llangwstenin which are provided by:

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        Schools

        Conwy Schools (Ysgolion Conwy) records - details of extant records on Archives Network Wales
        "Include; ............. Llangwstenin Glanwydden Council School, 1877-1997; Llangwstenin National School, 1877-1951..."