
Llanfoist ( cy, Llan-ffwyst) is both a village near
Abergavenny
Abergavenny (; cy, Y Fenni , archaically ''Abergafenni'' meaning "mouth of the River Gavenny") is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a ''Gateway to Wales''; it is approximately from the border wi ...
, in
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...
, Wales, and the
community of
Llanfoist Fawr
Llanfoist Fawr (Welsh: ''Llan-ffwyst Fawr'') is a community in the county of Monmouthshire, Wales, and is 23.8 miles (38.3 km) from Cardiff and 126.3 miles (203.2 km) from London. In 2011 the population of Llanfoist Fawr was 3217 wit ...
. Llanfoist derives from ''Ffwyst'', an
early Christian
Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish d ...
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
, although the anglicised version of the church patron is ''Saint Faith''. The population was 1,228 in 2011.
The Church of St Faith
1901
Kelly's Directory of Monmouthshire describes the parish church of St Faith's:
The church holds records for baptisms from 1736–1975, for marriages from 1736–1971, for banns from 1824–47 and 1890–1933, and for burials from 1736-1945. There are also Bishops Transcripts for 1725-32, 1734–51, 1753-4, 1756–75, 1777–1806, 1808–10, 1813, 1815–16, 1820–37, 1841–58, 1862–1865, 1869 and 1880.
The parish of
Llanelen
Llanellen ( cy, Llanelen) is a village in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales, United Kingdom. It is located south of Abergavenny.
The population was 506 in 2011.
Geography
The Blorenge mountain towers above the village. The River Usk passes clos ...
has historically been held with Llanfoist, although since the retirement of the last resident Rector, the Reverend Thomas Arthur Foster (1923-2010) in 1992 the parishes have been served from Govilon (
Llanwenarth Ultra
Llanwenarth Ultra is an electoral ward near Abergavenny, Monmouthshire. The ward elects councillors to Llanfoist Fawr Community Council and Monmouthshire County Council.
History and description
The ward (previously a civil parish) is based aroun ...
). At the time of his departure, Father Foster was the longest serving
incumbent in the
Diocese of Monmouth, having held the benefice since 1959. His predecessor, the Reverend Harold Stanley Richards (1888-1976) served between 1930-59.
The village also had a
Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, erected in 1839. In 1851 the attendance was 200 for morning worship (with 180 scholars), 200 scholars in the afternoon and 40 for evening worship with 50 scholars.
Crawshay Bailey and Alexander Cordell
Llanfoist was home to the
ironmaster,
Crawshay Bailey. Before 1851 he had retired to Llanfoist House in the village. Llanfoist Primary School had a house named after him until 2008 when the House was renamed 'Skirrid'. He died in 1872, aged 83, after at least seventy years in industry. His only son and heir, also
Crawshay Bailey (1841–1887), inherited his estate.
The
novelist Alexander Cordell, most famously author of ''
Rape of the Fair Country'' is buried at Llanfoist.
Amenities and attractions
The village is located beneath the hill known as
Blorenge
Blorenge, also called The Blorenge (; cy, Blorens), is a prominent hill overlooking the valley of the River Usk near Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, southeast Wales. It is situated in the southeastern corner of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The ...
, part of the
Brecon Beacons National Park, rising above sea level over the vale of the
River Usk
The River Usk (; cy, Afon Wysg) rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain (''y Mynydd Du''), Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it fl ...
.
The
Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal runs just above the village.
The village has a church hall, situated on the Merthyr Road, which holds Public Liability Insurance.
Recent developments
The Llanfoist Fawr Primary School moved to a new location in the Barratt estate (Ffordd yr Ysgol) on Gypsy Lane and was opened in 2008.
On 2 January 2012 an ancient yew tree in the grounds of St Faith's Church, which was believed to be up to 1,000 years old, was brought down by high winds.
References
External links
Old Photos of the canalwww.geograph.co.uk : photos of Llanfoist and surrounding area
{{authority control
Villages in Monmouthshire
Brecon Beacons
River Usk