Horse Drawn Hearse

A Bit About The Parish

The ancient parish of Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd consisted of the four townships of Eyarth, Garthgynan, Faenol and Derwen-Llanerch.

The Parish Church was originally founded by st. Cynfarch (festival September 8th) about the 13th century and on some subsequent occasion, perhaps when it was rebuilt, dedicated to st. Mary. The early church would have been built of wood and plaster and later built of stone about 1403. The old church was according to tradition, burned down by Owain Glyndwr in 1400. The church is of the type of many in the vale of Clwyd, consisting of a double nave.

The church was restored in 1871/1872 and included the removal of the plaster ceiling, exposing the oak arched bracing to the roof, the rebuilding of the South Porch in oak and the replacement of many internal fittings.

The Lych Gate, which was originally situated at the front entrance to the church and its graveyard, was a temporary shelter for the horse drawn hearse. The Lych Gate was restored in 1939.

The churchyard did at one time contain many gravestones, but it was cleared despite some strong objections, by bulldozers in 1965. By not preserving the gravestones, part of the local history has gone. The oldest gravestone was dated 1643, with most dating from the 1700's. Of the stones kept, and of interest, John Denman, first chief Constable of Denbighshire, who was buried in 1880 and Mary Goodrich, who donated the window in the Memorial Chapel.