5320

 

II*  

Designated  

05/04/1971  

22/09/1998  

Church of St. Peulan  

 

Isle of Anglesey  

Bryngwran  

 

Dothan  

237250  

375480  

 

In an isolated rural location, within an irregularly shaped churchyard at the end of a raised trackway W of a country road between the A5(T) and Dothan. Located c. 1.75km SW of Gwalchmai and c. 3km SE of Bryngwran.  

Religious, Ritual and Funerary  

 

Medieval church, nave probably C12 with chancel and S chapel built C14. The chancel has a blocked C14 window in the N wall, a C15 E window and early C16 S window. The S chapel has a re-set C12 window adjacent to the C19 doorway in the E wall and a C17 S window. The church of St. Peulan was the parish church of Llanbeulan, its chapel of ease the church of St. Mary at Tal-y-llyn. In mid-late C19 the church was re-roofed and re-fitted as part of an ongoing programme of church restoration and rebuilding on Anglesey.  

Small Medieval church built of local rubble with gritstone dressings; slate roof with stone copings. Nave of 2 bays with shorter, narrower chancel and S chapel; nave has a single gabled bellcote at the W end, the chancel and S chapel have iron gable apex crosses, the chancel with angle buttresses at the E end. Entry to the church is through a C19, chamfered, pointed-arched doorway at the N end of the E wall of the S chapel. Left of the doorway is a small, round-headed, reset C12 window and between the two, set under the eaves, is a weathered inscribed stone bearing a date and initials 1637 / I.G. / R E [J ...]. The S window of the S chapel is a C17 window of 2 square-headed lights; the nave has similarly detailed C19 windows, 2 in the N wall, a single window in the S wall and a blocked doorway at the W end. The chancel also has a similarly detailed early C16 window in the S wall, this window with hollow-chamfered jambs; there is a blocked C14 window in the N wall and the C15 E window has 2 trefoil-headed lights in a square frame with moulded label, the returns terminated with carved human heads.  

Entry to the church is through the E doorway in the S chapel. Both S chapel and chancel are divided from the nave by similarly detailed C14 arches, each with 2 hollow chamfered orders; the chancel arch is round-headed, the arch to the S chapel has a pointed head. The nave is of 4 roof bays, the chancel and S chapel each of 2 roof bays; the roof is C19 with exposed rafters and collared trusses with curved braces down to wall posts on plain corbels. The C19 fittings are simple; the pulpit with a moulded cornice over recessed panels with chamfered angles, the moulded sanctuary rail on widely spaced chamfered posts, diagonal and crossed braces between. One of the chancel stalls has an inscribed wooden panel forming its back which reads: THE : SEATE : OF / WILLIAM : BOLD : OF / TREYRDDOL : ESQUIR / 1664. To the W end of the nave is a late C12 gritstone font; a rectangular bowl with decoration on 3 faces, the upper part of each angle with roll moulding. The E face has an expanded arm wheel-cross, flanked at the base by half-spheres and enclosed by a border of 3 bands, the outermost of which has cabled sides and a chevron decoration along the top edge; the N face has an arcade of round-headed arches standing on a band of lozenge pattern; the W face has a square chequer-work panel over a band of Greek fret. The church also contains a number of C17, C18 and early C19 memorials. The N wall of the chancel has a marble memorial to Anne, daughter of John Rowlands of Clegir Mawr, d.1792, John Rowlands d.1793, his wife Eleanor d.1820 and their daughter Mythanwy d.1836; a slate memorial to Margaret, daughter of Rev. William Griffith, Rector of Rhoscolyn, d.1770; and a slate memorial to Hugh Davies of Trefeibion Meyrick d.1690. The E wall of the chancel has a marble memorial to John Williams of Treban d.1806 and John, his son, d.1804. The S wall of the chancel has a slate memorial to Hugh, son of Owen Jones of Penrhos Branwen, and Mary his wife d.1765, Hugh, son of above Owen Jones d.1784, and Jane, daughter, d.1784. There are also painted wooden plaques above and flanking the blocked entrance at the W end of the nave.  

Listed as a rural Medieval church retaining its simple character. The church was of typical Anglesey type which was extended and refitted during a programme of rebuilding and restoration work carried out on Anglesey churches in the mid C19. The C19 work retained the simplicity of design and construction and the Medieval character kept in the use of smaller, more basic fenestration throughout.