England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Lanynys St Saeran

The Parish

The parish of Llanynys lies in northern central Denbighshire in the Vale of Clwyd and roughly 4 miles southeast of the town of Denbigh. The settlement that grants its name to the parish is little more than a hamlet with just church, the former inn and a couple of farms marked at the site of Llanynys, the wider parish encompasses not just an area of the Vale but also includes the slopes of the nearby Clwydian Hills. Llanynys, itself, lies just over a mile east of the A525 road which links Denbigh with Ruthin and sits between the eastern banks of the Afon Clwyd and the canal running up to Ruthin. Whilst the upper slopes of the Clwydian Hills are fit only for rough grazing of sheep, the valley bottom is rich and fertile providing excellent grazing for cattle as well as fertile soils for cereals and root crops. Modern developments have come and left from Llanynys, the branch railway line linking Llangollen through Ruthin to Denbigh which once ran along the valley has since closed and been largely dismantled. Llanynys is drained northwestwards by the Afon Clwyd which meets the Irish Sea just west of Rhyl. Llanynys is sited at around 40 metres above the sea as is much of the Vale, land rises eastwards, however, onto the mountains reaching 456 metres on Moel Arthur and 554 metres on Moel Famau, the two linked by the Offa's Dyke National Hiking Trail. Like most of Denbighshire's parishes, Llanynys is extensive, estimates place its extent at just over 4,900 acres within which it would have supported close to 750 parishioners. Like most of Wales Llanynys is not mentioned in Domesday Book which has no coverage west of the Clwydian Hills.

The Church

St Saeran's church sits amongst farms and cottages on a narrow lane winding across the Vale from Llandyrnog towards Rhewl. The site is a "llan" and was home in early days to a 6th century monastery, long since dissolved. The earliest parts of the present church date to the 13th century and are in the Early English Gothic style of that century, namely the western doorway. The church is unusual in having two naves as well as the normal nave topped by a western bellcote, a northern nave sits adjacent. Much of the church dates from the late-Perpendicular period of the 15th century, the northern nave shows signs it was not only lengthened eastwards but also increased in height at that time. The church once had a 5-bay arcade but this was replaced in c1768 by fluted square Doric columns. The dating of the main fabric is qualified by an inscription in the porch of 1544 which seems consistent with the style. There is evidence of a thorough Victorian restoration, notably the rebuild of the southern nave's eastern end, but Pevsner, on this occasion, neglects to note the date. Parking around the church is difficult with narrow lanes so should be done with consideration. The church is hidden away behind fronting properties with a metal gateway sitting adjacent to the former inn and leading into a churchyard with no obstacles for the photographer.