St Beuno's Church, Bettws Cedewain Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Beuno's Church
St Beuno's Church, Bettws Cedewain
Location in Powys
52°33′37″N 3°17′45″W / 52.560342°N 3.295912°W / 52.560342; -3.295912
Location	Bettws Cedewain, Powys
Country	Wales
Denomination	Church in Wales
History
Founder(s)	St Beuno
Dedication	St Beuno
Consecrated	Probably 7th century AD
Events	Rebuilt 1868
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	21 August 1995
Architect(s)	William Eden Nesfield
Architectural type	Church
Style	Medieval and Victorian
Administration
Parish	Bettws Cedewain
Archdeaconry	Montgomery
Diocese	St Asaph

St Beuno's Church is a historic church located in Bettws Cedewain, a village in Powys, Wales. It stands on a hill, looking over the village and the Bechan Brook valley. The church is about 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Welshpool.

This church has one main room and a tower at its western end. It is surrounded by a nearly circular churchyard. In the early 1500s, a bellcote (a small structure holding bells) was added to the tower. This was done by the vicar, John ap Meredyth, whose special memorial plaque can still be seen inside. The church was greatly rebuilt in 1868 by architect William Eden Nesfield. This included completely rebuilding the top part of the tower.

Who Was Saint Beuno?
How Old is St Beuno's Church?
What Did Thomas Pennant See in 1775?
What Does the Church Look Like?
Images for kids
See also
Further Reading

Who Was Saint Beuno?

St Beuno was an important Celtic saint who lived a very long time ago, dying around 640 AD. We know about his life from old writings. He was born in a place called Banhenic in the Severn valley.

Beuno studied at Caerwent, an old Roman town. Later, he received land in Aberhiew (now Berriew) from a person named Mawn ap Brochwel. Here, Beuno likely started a minster church or a clas, which was a type of early Christian settlement. While at Berriew, he performed many miracles. He also founded other churches in Powys and North East Wales, probably including this one in Bettws Cedewain. He then moved to Clynnog Fawr in Caernarfonshire, where he founded a famous monastery.

How Old is St Beuno's Church?

St Beuno's church in Bettws Cedewain is set in an almost circular churchyard.

It is believed that St Beuno himself founded this church around 600 A.D. The churchyard's almost oval shape suggests it might have been an early medieval monastic or clas church.

Records from 1254 and 1291 mention the church as Eccli'a de Bethus and Ecclesia de Bethys. Between 1254 and 1272, the church became connected with the Cistercian abbey of Strata Marcella. It remained part of the abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries, when many monasteries were closed.

What Did Thomas Pennant See in 1775?

Memorial Brass, St Beuno's Church, Bettws Cedewain

In July 1775, a traveler named Thomas Pennant visited Bettws Cedewain. He wrote about the church in his book Tours in Wales. His writings give us good information about how the church looked back then.

Pennant noted that the church's steeple was quite impressive. He wrote that it was built by one of the church's ministers. He also mentioned seeing a monumental brass plaque on a wall. This plaque showed the figure of a priest in his robes. Pennant recorded the Latin words on the plaque, which honored John ap Meredyth. This priest died in 1531 and was responsible for adding the steeple, or campanile, with its three bells to the tower.

Translation of inscription to John ap Meredyth

Pennant also said that this brass plaque, which is the only one of its kind in Montgomeryshire, used to be attached to a large oak slab or chest. This wooden piece was still in the church during his visit. Pennant later hired artist John Ingleby to create watercolors for his book. In 1796, Ingleby painted a picture of the church with its campanile. He also drew the brass plaque and provided a translation of its inscription.

What Does the Church Look Like?

St Beuno's Church, Bettws Cedewain

Experts say that St Beuno's has one of the few church towers in Montgomeryshire built in the Perpendicular Period style. However, the tower's history is more complicated.

As Pennant noted, the wooden steeple or campanile was likely added before 1531 by Vicar John ap Meredyth. Records show that two of the older bells were remade in 1630. The bell frame was probably changed at that time too. The tower must have been greatly rebuilt in the early 1700s. John Ingleby's watercolor shows it had arched windows, similar to those in nearby Llanllwchaiarn church. The top part of the tower and the main body of the church were rebuilt again in 1868 by William Eden Nesfield.

Tower of St Beuno's, Bettws Cedewain

The only part that clearly shows the Perpendicular style is the three-light window on the west side of the tower. A decorative stone molding above this window suggests it was built very late in the Perpendicular period. The lower parts of the tower are even older. There's a door on the west side of the tower that shows features from the late Romanesque or Transitional period. This might mean the tower was first built in the early 1200s.

The church does not have a separate chancel (the area around the altar). The new windows are similar to those shown in Ingleby's old painting. The roof, with its arched braces, has been completely redone.

The font (a basin for baptisms) has seven sides with decorative circles. It was made to look like the old one. There is also a stone pulpit from 1859, which was moved here from Hawarden church. Behind the altar, there is a stone reredos (a decorated screen). It has white figures against colored marble. This was given in 1871 in memory of J. W. Buckley-Willames.

The church's stained glass includes the east window, made by William Wailes after 1868. It shows the Ascension of Jesus. In the windows on the south side, there are various decorative pieces. These include a small scene from the early 1500s showing the Nativity and Crucifixion. There are also later figures, which are thought to have come from Glastonbury Abbey and other churches in Somerset.

The churchyard also contains the grave of a soldier from the Monmouthshire Regiment who died in World War I. This grave is cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.