Capel Lligwy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Capel Lligwy |
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The ruined chapel, showing the doorway and the 16th-century side chapel (to the right)
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| OS grid reference | SH 499 863 |
| Location | Rhos Lligwy, Anglesey |
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
| History | |
| Status | Chapel of ease |
| Founded | 12th century |
| Dedication | Unknown |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Ruined |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 2 September 1952 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Medieval |
| Closed | 18th century |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Rubble masonry |
Capel Lligwy is an old, ruined chapel found near Rhos Lligwy in Anglesey, north Wales. It was built a very long time ago, in the early 1100s. People aren't sure why it was first built. It might have been a special place to remember someone, or perhaps linked to a local royal family. It could also have been a "chapel of ease." This means it was a smaller church for people who lived far from the main parish church.
The chapel was used until the early 1700s as a private place for worship for a nearby house. After that, it slowly fell apart. Today, only the walls are left, and there is no roof. Inside, you can still see some traces of plaster on the walls.
Capel Lligwy has a side chapel from the 1500s with a secret room underneath. This room was used as a burial place. The chapel is a Grade II listed building. This means it's a very important old building that should be protected. It's special because it's mostly from the 1100s and has an unusual side chapel from the 1500s.
Contents
History of Capel Lligwy
The oldest parts of Capel Lligwy were built in the early 1100s. This was a time when many churches on Anglesey started to be built with stone. This happened after the end of Viking raids and when the Normans tried to take control of the island. We don't know why this chapel was built or which saint it was dedicated to.
Some experts think it might have been a memorial chapel. Others believe it was connected to a royal court nearby. It was built in the large area of Penrhos Lligwy. It might have helped serve the growing number of people in medieval times. Even so, it stayed a small "chapel of ease" and never became a main parish church. People sometimes call it "Hen Gapel Lligwy," which means "Old Chapel Lligwy" in Welsh.
Changes Over Time
The walls of the chapel were partly rebuilt in the 1300s. The upper parts of the walls you see today are from that time. A new chapel was added to the south side of the building in the 1500s. A special underground room, called a vault, was built under this south chapel. It was used to bury members of a local family called the Pierce Lloyds.
For a while, Capel Lligwy was used as a private chapel for Lligwy House. This old house was once owned by the Lloyd family. In the 1700s, it became the property of William Irby, 1st Baron Boston. After the early 1700s, the chapel was no longer used. It began to fall into ruin. The walls still stand tall, but the roof is gone.
Capel Lligwy is in the countryside of Anglesey, close to Llanallgo. The main church of St Gallgo, Llanallgo is about 1.25 kilometers away. Part of the old churchyard wall is still there. It shows that the chapel was once inside a round area, which was common for very old churches. Today, Cadw looks after Capel Lligwy. Cadw is the Welsh government group that protects old buildings in Wales. The chapel is open for people to visit.
What Capel Lligwy Looks Like
Capel Lligwy is built from rough, uneven stones called rubble masonry. If you look closely, you can see where the walls were rebuilt in the 1300s. About 1.5 meters up the walls, the building style changes. Smaller stones fill the gaps between larger blocks.
The main entrance is on the south side. It has a simple arch above it and is from the 1100s. At the west end, there's a stone structure for a bell, called a bellcote. Inside, there's no wall separating the nave (where people sat) from the chancel (where the altar was).
There are no windows on the north side. There's a blocked-up opening on the east side, about 1.5 meters wide. You can also see the remains of a window on the south wall. The south chapel also has a blocked window. The underground vault is about 2.5 square meters. You can reach it by stone steps from inside the south chapel. Large limestone slabs form the roof of the vault and the floor of the chapel above it. There's a stone in the nave, about 0.2 square meters, with a hole in the top. It might have been part of an old churchyard cross.
Why Capel Lligwy is Important
Capel Lligwy is a very important historical site. It is a Grade II listed building. This means it's a special building that should be protected. It got this status on September 2, 1952. It's important because it's mostly an 1100s building with some original details. Even though it's now a ruin, it tells us a lot about the past. Cadw, the group that lists Welsh buildings, also notes its "unusual 16th-century vaulted south chapel."
An old writer from the 1800s, Angharad Llwyd, wrote about the chapel. She said its simple style showed how old it was. She told a story about a fox that hid in the ruins. When people dug it out, they found the underground vault. Inside were many human skeletons. They turned to dust when exposed to the air. She added that more digging found "a large mass of human bones."
A book from 1990 about old churches in Wales talks about the ancient sites in this part of Anglesey. It calls Capel Lligwy a "medieval gesture of Christian power." It also says that today, Capel Lligwy is "just another ruined relic of a former age." The authors describe the chapel as a "simple, square building." They also mention its "small and ruggedly austere south chapel." They note that the stone slabs over the vault look like the ancient burial chambers found nearby.
See also
- Din Lligwy, an old Iron Age site nearby
- Lligwy Burial Chamber, an old burial place from the Stone Age nearby
