It is believed that King Brychan established a court in this area around
the beginning of the fifth century and subsequently sent his children to
be educated at St. Gastyn on the other side of the Lake.
An eighth century Charter claims that King Awst of Brycheiniog
gave a royal estate, corresponding to the parish of Llangors, to Bishop
Euddogwy. It also records
the donation by Awst of his own and his son’s bodies to the church for
burial, indicating that Llangors church could have been a royal burial
ground. Archaeologists have identified numerous relics and burials
dating to the eighth century.
Llangors Church was founded in the sixth century by St. Paulinus.
He was born Paul Aurelian, the son of a Welsh nobleman and
educated by St. Illtyd at his school in Llantwit Major.
We know he wished to serve God “in the uninterrupted life of
contemplation” and founded a monastic settlement in Llanddeusant near
Llandovery before coming to Llangors and building a monastery or church
in the shadow of Mynydd Troed.
The nearby parish of Llanhamlach was dedicated to his old tutor
St. Illtyd and, maybe, this had played some part in his choosing
Llangors.
The first reference to a church building is in 1211
when Bishop Barnard of St. David’s lent support to the monks of Brecon
in a dispute about their church at Llangors.
At the rear of the south aisle are fragments of Early Christian
Stones dating from the seventh to the ninth century.
In medieval times the church was associated with Brecon Priory
(now Brecon cathedral) who received the church tithes. The Church seems
to have been dedicated to St Mary and St Paulinus until the Reformation,
but since then only the second dedication has remained.
There are two other churches dedicated to St. Mary in the area.
This is a medieval
church substantially enlarged and remodelled in fifteenth century by the
addition of a large south aisle and west tower. Restored 1874 by T
Nicholson when the sanctuary was added; the beautiful barrel roof in the
south aisle was retained together with the Tudor doorway, windows and
priest’s door in the south wall, and font. The church has a late
Medieval Perpendicular aspect, a nave with a fifteenth century west
tower, a chancel wholly rebuilt in 1874, south aisle and vestry.
Doubt exists as to whether the sanctuary was a replacement or
original, if it were a replacement it would imply that the medieval
church had a double aisle.
The nave is narrower than the chancel but only on one side suggesting
that part of the chancel wall contains a former south aisle.
The walls are
constructed from Red Devonian Sandstone while the roof is slated with a
yellow ceramic Victorian dog tooth ridge profile.
The tower has a
flagstone floor and a barrel vaulted ceiling.
The nave again has a flagged floor though tiled at the front with
grave slabs of 1763 and 1795 used as flooring between the arches of the
arcade. The walls are
plastered and whitewashed, the nineteenth century roof is of close
braced collars with scissor struts.
The chancel sits two steps above the nave and has a tiled floor
save for boarding underneath the choir stalls.
There is a late medieval wagon roof.
The nave and the chancel do not entirely line up as it would
appear that the nave and chancel were once one through structure but the
nave is now off centred. This is described as a “weeping sanctuary”
which is a common reference to the fact that Christ's head leaned to one
side on the cross.
A nineteenth century
pine altar with regular frame and plain top, its front has three bays
with tracery on base of the rails. The altar stands in front of an Oak
screen reredos backing with centre panel depicting the Last Supper.
There is an oak communion rail on oak standards and bottom rail, tracer
brackets to supports.
In the nave there is
an octagonal stone pulpit with traceried panels and an octagonal font
with carved underside on a circular plinth circa 1300 with oak lid dated
1897.
The church has six bells and mass dial.
A complete set of bells was provided in 1721 by
the Evans foundry of Chepstow, recast from five old bells at a cost of
£55. In order to raise the
money the vestry agreed to levy a rate in two yearly instalments.
In the second year the vicar, John Lloyd (whose name appears on
the tenor bell) refused to pay and as a result the churchwardens sued
the vicar in the Consistory Court.
The case was eventually decided in favour of the churchwardens on
22nd October 1724.
Unfortunately the fittings, frame and tower will not now stand
the strain of the bells being rung full circle and so they have not been
so rung for some time.
The organ is of great historical and musical significance, one of the
most significant survivors of early Georgian organs in Great Britain.
There are very few organs in this country where one can capture
the original sound of the eighteenth century.
This is one of them - one of the earliest, with some of the least
altered pipework of the period.
It was made for the Cardiff parish church of St John the Baptist
by Renatus Harris in 1720
and acquired by Llangors in 1903, and is still in use to this day.
There is a wooden
plaque with list of incumbents and a large oak panelled plaque dedicated
to those who died in the Great War. The church registers date from 1692.
The Church is always open and has easy access.
Churchyard
The churchyard is a medium-sized, largely rectilinear enclosure, with a visible curve only on the east. It was somewhat larger and more curvilinear at an earlier stage in its history but the Castle Inn and old school have encroached on it to the south, and the modern road having truncated a small segment of it on the west. The churchyard is well maintained and is still used for burial. On the north is the stream, separated either by a retaining wall or a hedge. Monuments are evenly spread across most of the area, though densest to the south and east of the church. Some eighteenth century examples can still be recognised. There are a few yews on the south side, plus some pines.
Grade II listed
monuments
Powell chest tombs - south
west
of the church
Monument to east to
Diana wife of Thomas Powell of Tregunter died 1841, also Mary daughter
died 1842, Ann daughter died 1837, Thomas Powell died 1884. Monument to
west to Howell Powell died 1836, wife Anne died 1850 and son also Howell
died 1862, of Crickie, a farm north east of Llangors.
Crickie being a long standing Anglicisation of Crugiau.
Crickie is separately listed and
the dated mid nineteenth century farm buildings were probably built
during this family's ownership.
Group of two chest
tombs. That to east to Thomas and
Diana Powell is tall with tapered sides with decorative corners,
inscription panels north and south, north the earliest; deep cornice
swept up to a large urn finial; four stone feet on a stone slab within a
rectangular stone kerb. To west
is the longer rectangular chest tomb of sandstone to Howell Powell and
others, with metal feet with inscriptions on three sides, earliest to
south; a plain design with simple raised corner bands and narrow plinth,
standing on a stone slab.
Lewis monument - south east
of the
church
Early nineteenth
century monument commemorating a family of Pencelli, inscription partly
illegible records Hannah daughter of William... Anne Maria; later
inscription to James Lewis of the Ebbw Vale Iron Co died 1856. Monument
by Phillips of Talgarth.
An unusual pier-shaped
monument of pale ashlar surmounted by a small iron urn finial.
Stands on a stone base on a
plinth; the pier is slightly tapered from its own plinth moulding ending
in an overhanging cornice with small shallow pediments to each face;
each side of the pier has a tapered projecting inscription panel, the
primary inscription on the east.
Watkeys table tomb - east
wall of south aisle of church
Those commemorated are
Jane daughter of Edward and Elizabeth Watkeys of Heol-las Cathedine died
1851 aged 14; also Edward of Upper Pendre died 1878 and Elizabeth died
1881.
Plain rectangular
table tomb of sandstone with main inscription panel with recessed border
on south face; added inscription panel to east; shallow attached fluted
columns at corners.
Bowen table tomb - east end of
the church
Those commemorated are
Richard Bowen died 1802, two unnamed daughters who died in infancy,
Margaret his wife died 1804, David Bowen son of Richard and Margaret
died 1826 of Trevynon - a large farm north of Llangors village, William
another son and curate of Stoke Edith (Herefordshire) died 1828, Thomas
Bowen died 1861 and wife Rebekah died 1867 also of Trefeinon.
Table tomb of
sandstone with primary inscription on top slab. Further later
inscriptions on sides and end. The top slab is moulded and the corners
are urn-shaped pilasters; moulded plinth on a wide stone base.
Jones - east of the church,
near the boundary with The Old Vicarage
Tomb of Rebecca only
daughter of John and Elizabeth Jones of Place died 1852 and other
members of the family. Place is an anglicisation of Plas, a large farm
in Llangors village. Mason W Williams of Brecon.
Table tomb within a
railed enclosure. The moulded top slab overhangs the narrow chest which
stands on a deep plinth; main inscription on south face, other later
ones east, west and north, those at north and south within an urn-shaped
panel; fluted attached columns at corners. Rails on a stone kerb have
fleur de lys finials with crockets or urns to the main stanchions; gate
west.
Powell, Morgan, James
headstones - south east section just south of path to The Old Vicarage.
Headstones
commemorate: (1) Margaret wife of James Powell of the Three Salmons in
Crickhowell died 1849; (2) Ann wife of John Morgan of Talybont died 1820
also infant daughter of John and Mary Pritchard died 1834 and others;
(3) Thomas son of Thomas James died 1828, also daughter died 1824, also
Thomas James died 1851.
Group of three
early-mid nineteenth century headstones decoratively carved in unusually
deep relief, all with shaped heads. The
easternmost to Margaret Powell shows a winged angel in clouds, the
inscription is in a recessed oval and the sides have a band of narrow
cable moulding. Of the west pair,
the one to north to Ann Morgan is low and wide and shows a hand holding
a chalice with sunbeams streaming through parted voluminous clouds.
That to south to Thomas James
also shows a winged angel in clouds, the inscription panel is oval and
the sides have narrow cable mouldings.
Sources:
R.Scourfield & R.Haslam,
Buildings of Wales: Powys (2013)
Church Heritage Cymru
in association with Tina
Andrew, Heritage Officer, Church in Wales
Stained Glass
http://stainedglass.llgc.org.uk by kind permission of Martin
Crampin
Designated Historic Asset
Descriptive Information, The Welsh Historic
Environment Service (Cadw), DATE 31 January 2022, licensed under the
Open Government Licence
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/