Llangian

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I was going to rant about the preposterously puffed-up Anglo-Australian trade deal that we have apparently (or at least BoJo has) signed. But I won't. Yet. Just a short drive away from where we're staying  at Porth Neigwl is the prettiest little village called Llangian, one-time holder of the Best Kept Village in Carnarvonshire [the county spelling is contemporary with the signage, not current orthographic practice, where the 'v' sound is written 'f', 'f' being rendered as 'ff': the modern usage is Caernarfon and their is no current county of Caernarfon(shire), nor would it be referred to in the English way].

At the centre of the village is the church dedicated to Saint Cian - Eglwys Llangian. Eglwys refers to the building itself and the 'Llan' in Llangian to the enclosed land surrounding it. The first recording of the church was made in the 'Valuation of Norwich' in 1254 and the nave dates to the time of that recording, although remains carbon-dated to the year 550 were found in churchyard renovations carried out in 1994. The font has the date 1638 inscribed on it and a number of tablets dating to then are present in the building.

Interestingly, in the graveyard on the southern side of the church, there is a small, roughly-hewn stone pillar with the Latin inscription: MELI MEDICI FILI MARTINI IACIT - Melus, the Doctor, son of Martin(us), he lies here: the sole British example of a doctor being buried at this time. The stone dates from the sixth century. All historical information here was provided by a leaflet freely provided by the church, and the distinctions between Llan and Eglwys were originally told to me by a late friend: Emlyn Sherrington.


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