Folk-Lore of West and Mid-WalesDavies, Jonathan Ceredig
History
Folk-Lore of West and Mid-Wales
Davies, Jonathan Ceredig
Folklore -- Wales; Wales -- Social life and customs
LLANBISTER CHURCH (RADNORSHIRE).
The Rev. Professor Tyrrell Green, St. David's College, Lampeter,
writes to me thus:--
"Jonathan Williams in his History of Radnorshire, p. 194, ed., 1859,
says that near Llanbister Church is a piece of land on which it
was originally intended to have erected the Church, but tradition
reports that the accomplishment of this design was prevented by
the intervention of supernatural agency. "The tradition that a
supernatural being carried away in the night whatever was built of
the church during the day, is still kept alive, because the warden
claims an annual rent of 2s. 6d. for the vacant and unconsecrated
site of the originally intended church." In the same book mention is
made of an old custom prevailing in this parish, viz., the payment
of a certain tax or tribute called "Clwt-y-Gyllell," or Knife Money,
imposed on a certain corner of a field on some estates, consisting
of a certain number of groats.
PENBRYN CHURCH.
For the following legend, I am indebted to Mr. Prys Williams,
Y. Wenallt, an eminent antiquarian in the southern part of
Cardiganshire:--
The intended original site of the Church of Penbryn, according to
tradition, was Penlon Moch, near Sarnau, where now stands St. John's
Mission Church; but all the materials they brought there, and built
in the course of the day, were removed during the night by invisible
hands to where it now stands. There is a similar tradition concerning
Bettws Ifan.
LLANWINIO (CARMARTHENSHIRE).
When the attempt was first made to build this church, everything put
up in the day fell down in the night, till at last the builder threw
his hammer into the air.
The church was then built on the spot where the hammer fell and the
work progressed without further hindrance.
In this story we do not hear of a spirit removing the material, but
it is evident that it was believed that the falling down in the night
of what was put up in the day, was caused by some supernatural agency.
LLANGAN (CARMARTHENSHIRE).
In the middle of the parish there is a field called Park y Fonwent,
where, according to local tradition, the church was to have been
originally built, but the stones brought to the spot during the day,
were removed by invisible hands during the night to the spot where the
present church now stands, accompanied by a voice saying, "Llangan,
dyma'r fan," (Llangan, here is the spot).--See Arch. Cam., 1872.
MAROS.
Not far from Pendine, Carmarthenshire, is a field called Church Park,
a short distance to the west from the church. In this field it was
intended at first to build the church, but invisible spirits during
the night removed both stones and mortar to the spot where the church
now stands. There is also a tradition that two giants were buried in
the field.
LLANGELER CHURCH.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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