St Cadoc’s Llancarfan
History
The Vale of Glamorgan was an important centre of Christianity in Britain. There was a monastery here from at least 650 AD, founded by St. Cadoc or Cadog. By the 9th century Llancarfan was a flourishing centre of learning, with the main monastic buildings just south of today’s church, in Culvery Fields.
Despite destruction by the Danes, Llancarfan monastery proved ‘the most powerful ecclesiastical community in Glamorgan’. It did not, however, survive the Norman invasion, and after this early dissolution, responsibility passed to the Abbey of St. Peter’s, Gloucester. St. Cadoc retained his presence in the parish church, where our simple chancel arch suggests a foundation of about 1200.
The next 800 years have seen our distinctively-shaped church serving its community, and surviving the traumas of reformation and restoration. A Baptist and a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel nearby have come and gone, but St. Cadoc’s continues to refocus its role across the parish, reaching out to share its cultural and spiritual relevance to visitors, villagers, and all who treasure the heritage that shaped our history.
A Timeline
c.650 AD
The Vale of Glamorgan was an important centre of Christianity in Britain. There was a monastery here from at least 650 AD, founded by St. Cadoc or Cadog.
c.800
By the 9th century Llancarfan was a flourishing centre of learning, with the main monastic buildings just south of today’s church, in Culvery Fields.
1200
Despite destruction by the Danes, Llancarfan monastery proved ‘the most powerful ecclesiastical community in Glamorgan’. It did not, however, survive the Norman invasion, and after this early dissolution, responsibility passed to the Abbey of St. Peter’s, Gloucester. St. Cadoc retained his presence in the parish church, where our simple chancel arch suggests a foundation of about 1200.
1602
St Cadoc’s Church in 1622 as drawn by Evans Mouse (courtesy of Glamorgan Record Office)
Earliest readable date on our tombstones – for any Genealogists that may wish to unravel the family histories.
The Glamorgan Family History Society has published invaluable monumental transcripts, and also our parish registers, covering dates ranging from 1619 to 1900.
This being the Vale of the Saints, accessible from the Severn shore to all comers, from Normans to Vikings to migrant Devonians and Cornish Celts, our Welsh landscape is rich with historical heritage. Follow some of the trails to its churches, castles, headlands and even pubs – and discover a Vale shaped to perfection by its histories.
Click here to find out more about the church in 1622 (PDF File, 4.2mb)
Onwards
The next 800 years have seen our distinctively-shaped church serving its community, and surviving the traumas of reformation and restoration. A Baptist and a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel nearby have come and gone, but St. Cadoc’s continues to refocus its role across the parish, reaching out to share its cultural and spiritual relevance to visitors, villagers, and all who treasure the heritage that shaped our history.
Wall Paintings