St Ffraids Churchyard, Carrog, Denbighshire, Wales, UK - Churchyard Cemeteries on Waymarking.com

"It is believed the missionaries of the Celtic Church first came to the area round Groes Faen. They were followers of St Bridget (or St Bride), known in Welsh as Sant Ffraid (an Irish Saint whose Saint’s Day is 1st February). Not far up the hill from Groes Faen is a natural spring sanctified as Ffynon Sant Ffraid although it is not clear whether the spring was sanctified by the missionaries or they settled at Groes Faen because of the already sanctified water source.

There is a deed of a gift of land in Llansantffraid Edeyrnion, made prior to 1190 AD. By 1254 the Parish of Llansantffraid had an income of £2 from tithes.

The site of the original church was land close to the river, believed to be below the property known as ‘Riverdale’, built in 1881. Which side of the river is unclear, as there are footpaths on both sides. At that time the church owned considerable land in the area.

By 1563 the population of the parish was some 405 persons. Searching old records one finds reference to ‘townships’. These are nearly always the names of farms, many still the seat of a local single farm. In post medieval times these ‘townships’, might have been home to as many as a hundred and fifty people with up to thirty or forty dwellings. They were really little gatherings of people grouped together and supporting, and supported by the parent ‘farm’. Reference is made on various documents to the townships of Llan, Rhagatt, Hendreforfydd, Bodorlas, Morfydd, Tir Llanerch, and Carrog amongst others.

It is believed the original church was lost in 1601. According to an Englyn (a stanza or verse) by a local contemporary poet, Thomas Evans of Hendreforfydd);

‘Dyfrdwy, Dyfrdwy fawr ei naid
Aeth at Eglwys Llansanffraid,
Y Llyfrau bendigedig
A'r Gwppan Arian hefyd.’

which translates as;

‘The Dee of the great leaps
Took Llansanffraid church,
The sacred books
and the Silver Chalice also.’

? – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

What the community did for a meeting site in the years immediately following is not known, but records indicate building of the present church started in 1611 (although recent restoration work has uncovered a stone door jamb inscribed with the date 1610). Building was probably completed around 1613/4.

This present church started life as a small rectangular building, now the nave. Windows would have been simple and minimal. It is quite likely the two doorways are original, although the south porch would not have been present and the main door was probably hung on the interior wall as is the present door from the nave to the vestry. The age of the doors is unknown although they almost certainly predate the later Victorian modifications to the church."

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Name of church or churchyard: St Ffraids Churchyard Approximate Size: Large (100+)

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