Wales – Llangendeirne | The Squirrelbasket

Wales – Llangendeirne

St Cyndeyrn's Church, Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

Just for the record, Llangendeirne, in deepest Carmarthenshire, is one of my ancestral places. My PEREGRINE forebears lived here in the first half of the 19th century, farming at Limestone Hill and Coed Adam.

Llangendeirne farmland - I think this may be Limestone Hill

My paternal great-great grandparents James and Mary Peregrine, already with seven children, moved from Llangendeirne to Pembrey between 1845 and 1847 and went on to have another five offspring there.

I took these pictures on a grey day in April, 2006, when a kind man in the graveyard let us in to the Church of St Cyndeyrn to look at the BMD record books.

Llangendeirne (alternative spelling Llangyndeyrn) means “the church of Cyndeyrn”, a name that would be Kentigern in English. But this is not the same 7th century Welsh saint as the “famous” Kentigern, but another, descended from Cunedda (Kenneth), a Romano-British chieftain in the “dark” ages who fought off the Picts and Irish from the Western lands of Britain.

The Farmers' Arms at Llangendeirne

Llangendeirne farmland

Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

St Cyndeyrn's Church, Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

Graveyard of St Cyndeyrn's Church, Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

Graveyard of St Cyndeyrn's Church, Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

Inside St Cyndeyrn's Church, Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

Inside St Cyndeyrn's Church, Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

St Cyndeyrn's Church, Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

St Cyndeyrn's Church, Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

St Cyndeyrn's Church, Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

St Cyndeyrn's Church, Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

St Cyndeyrn's Church, Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

St Cyndeyrn's Church, Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

Salem Chapel, Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

Salem Chapel, Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

Salem Chapel, Llangendeirne, Carmarthenshire

49 Comments »

49 Responses

on April 11, 2012 at 1:44 pm | Reply Julie Treharne

Hi there….Thanks for the great pics. One day I hope to be able to go there and see for myself. My husbands Grandfather was born in Llangendeirne in 1864. Regards, Julie Treharne, Australia.
- on April 11, 2012 at 3:56 pm | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  Ah yes, Treharne is a very good Welsh name – I used to work with a photographer with that surname.
  
  Let me know if you need any look-ups or (simple) research into the family history, as I have access to all the UK databases and the Carmarthenshire Family History Society…
  
  Best wishes 🙂
on April 27, 2013 at 12:57 pm | Reply Kathy Berg

I am planning a visit to Llangendeirne in September 2013.to visit the land of my Culham roots (on my mother’s side). My grndmother’s family on my dad’s side came from Llangadok (LLangadog I assume?). I love your pictures and can hardly wait to come.
- on May 4, 2013 at 10:40 am | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  I hope you enjoy your trip – but don’t rely on public transport to get you to these villages…
  Best wishes 🙂
on June 6, 2013 at 1:45 pm | Reply Kathy Berg

Thanks for your response. Can you tell me if “Llangadok” or “Llangadock” are the same as Llangadog?
- on June 7, 2013 at 6:20 am | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  There are many spellings for this place name, but Llangadog is the most Welsh spelling. As long as you are sure your ancestor’s Llangadock was in Carmarthenshire, you should be fine. I expect you have seen this website: http://www.llangadog.com.
  
  There are at least two other “Llangattock” places in Wales, one in Monmouthshire, South East Wales, and one in Powys, Mid Wales. This name comes from the same root, meaning “church of Cadog or Catwg”. But as I say, if you are sure your ancestry is from Carmarthenshire, you can ignore these.
  
  Best wishes 🙂
on July 11, 2013 at 4:11 am | Reply Monte LeBlanc

Thank you for posting pictures of the hometown of my Jenkins, Phillips and Jones families. My gg-Grandparents were married while living at Pencally (an estate I presume) Llangendeirne in 1860
- on July 13, 2013 at 11:10 am | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  No problem – thanks for communicating 🙂
  I’m afraid Pencally rings no bells with me at all…
  Best wishes…
- on July 14, 2013 at 9:33 am | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  I have made a few inquiries via the Carmarthenshire Family History Society and apparently it is Pencelly, not Pencally, and it’s a farm.
  Thanks to Sarah, who spotted the Griffiths Family living there in the 1851 census, and to Owen, who says:
  My great (x4) grandparents Anthony Griffiths (1763-1835) and Esther Morris
  (1755-1840) farmed Pencelly until their deaths. Esther died in 1840 when her
  sons Lemuel and John worked the farm. although there were eight children only Lemuel
  & John are mentioned in her will.
  I don’t know whether the lease on Pencelly ended with Esther’s death but in 1851 it was farmed
  by a James Griffiths (1800-1888). I cannot find any record on Anthony & Esther
  having a son called James.
  James farmed Pencelly basically with farm labourers and dairy maids although a
  son John lived there who was a fellow of Jesus College Oxford.
  After his father’s death John live with his brother William at Coedwgan Fach,
  Llangendeirne.
  After James Griffiths’ death Pencelly was farmed by the Davies family followed by
  the Harries family.
  
  Not sure if any of those people are related to you. Let me know if you would like me to get in touch with Owen on your behalf.
  
  Best wishes 🙂
on July 17, 2013 at 2:30 am | Reply Monte LeBlanc

Thanks for the information on Pencelly. Don’t beleive I have any ties to the Griffiths family. My ancestors civil marriage record of 4 Jun 1860 lists John Phillips as a “Farm Servant” at Pencelly and Mary Jenkins as a “servant” of Pencelly. The couple moved onto Llanelly by 1862. It was their son Walter John who came to the US in 1895. My family:
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=m-leblanc&id=I666
- on July 20, 2013 at 5:15 pm | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  Thanks for the link. My ancestors were mostly servants, too, and went to Llanelli. Mostly Evanses.
  
  Best wishes 🙂
on October 20, 2013 at 6:36 pm | Reply Evelyn Evans

I too enjoyed your pictures of Llangendeirne. That is where My 3-Great Grandfather John Evans and his wife Amiah Treharne, married in 1805, made their home. This is my dead-end direct line ancestor and I have had no break-throughs in my brick wall. I know Evans was the same in commonality as Smith is in the USA. There are over 200 John Evanses in the area. He had a son David born in April 8, 1808, who married Phebe Reese. Is there any remote chance your Evanses are related to my evanses?
I enjoyed seeing the beautiful area my family lived in. Thank you for posting this.
Evelyn
- on October 23, 2013 at 5:48 am | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  Thank you for your kind comments.
  I think it a very remote chance that our Evanses are related, as mine go back to Anthony Evans of Llanelli, born around 1780. But I can’t find out where he came from originally or who his parents are, so you never know!
  He was a copper man, so I suspect he might have transferred to the Llanelli copper works from somewhere else, such as Swansea, or even Cornwall!
  Do you belong to the Carmarthenshire Family History group? If not, I could post your “dead-end” query to the mailing list and see if anyone has any ideas. If you would like to take me up on this, tell me anything else you know about John and Amiah…
  Best wishes 🙂
on October 24, 2013 at 6:45 pm | Reply Evelyn Evans

Thank you for your kind reply. I did not know about the Carmarthenshire Famiy History group. I would be grateful if you were to post my quarry for my ancestor. Thank you very much.

I am looking for the parents of John Evans and his children. I know of only one child.

John Evans, born 1782 in Llanelly, Carmarthen, Wales
Married 25 August, 1805 to Amiah Treharne, the widow of Mr. Davis.
Amiah (as written on the marriage license, and signed Amia on the same marriage license) was born in 1786 in Llanelly, Carmarthen, Wales.
She was listed as Ahniah Evans on the 1851 Wales Census of the parish or township of Llangendeirne. I found a Wales, Carmarthenshire, Parish register, 1538-1912 for Emiah Evans, Buried 18 Aug. 1854 Llanggendeirne, Carmarthenshire, Wales born 1773. I do not know if this is my Amiah.
They had a child, David Evans, a collier, born April 8, 1808 in Llanely, Carmarthen, Wales and
David married Phebe Rees, born 1806 in Kerry Hargote Pembrookshire, Wales.
David, Phebe and children immigrated from Liverpool 16 April 1861 aboard the Manchester and arrived in New York 14 May 1861.
- on October 25, 2013 at 5:28 am | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  I have sent the query to the members of the group.
  I don’t hold out that much hope – as you say, Evans is a VERY common name here. It seems to me it’s even more common than Jones.
  I have removed your email details from the comment on the public-facing blog page, but I will contact you if I have any replies to your query.
  Best wishes 🙂
on October 26, 2013 at 11:44 pm | Reply Evelyn Evans

I am so grateful for your help. You are the only person that has offered me any hope, even if it is a small ray of light. I am very appreciative of your website and wonderful photos with your descriptions. Someday I may see it for myself, but that too is not to hopeful.
Evelyn
- on October 29, 2013 at 6:19 am | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  I am happy to help, but I fear I have had no responses so far.
  Maybe one day our brick walls will be knocked down 🙂
on December 17, 2013 at 12:10 am | Reply lynette

thank you for the beautiful photos as now i can see where my grt grt grt grt grt grandmother elizabeth davis /davies was born there c1766 she was convicted with evan davis and gwenllia owen for burglery and shipped off to australia in 1791 so its so nice to see where she came from than you again lynette
- on December 19, 2013 at 6:38 am | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  I hope she didn’t have too bad a time in early Australia! The country turned out well, didn’t it?
  …With golden soil and wealth for toil, advance Australia fair…
  All the best 🙂
on February 8, 2015 at 11:50 pm | Reply Jay Langley

Fantastic to see…..my relatives came to Canada from Llangendeirne…they where Culhams…..
- on February 11, 2015 at 8:01 am | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  I’m glad you found it interesting. Culham sounds quite an unusual name – possibly not too hard to find in the records?
  All the best 🙂
- on February 11, 2015 at 8:01 am | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  I’m glad you found it interesting. Culham sounds quite an unusual name – possibly not too hard to find in the records?
  All the best 🙂
on February 14, 2015 at 8:49 am | Reply Vaughan Williams

Just getting in to the family history in this area and the first entry in the family bible is “John Jones married Elizabeth Williams12 June 1728”
Also “Rees Williams Llangerdeine departed his life February 27th 1735 aged 72”. Any ideas or info on this line prior to this date would be most helpful.
Vaughan Williams Cowbridge S Wales
- on February 14, 2015 at 4:37 pm | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  I’m surprised you have even been able to go back that far. You are so lucky to have a family Bible!
  I have found that many of the older parish records in Wales are now sparse, but if you don’t find anything on Ancestry you might try joining up to the Carmarthenshire Family History Society on this link.
  I’m afraid I recently let my membership lapse, or else I would ask your question for you!
  Best of luck 🙂
on September 22, 2016 at 3:58 pm | Reply Rosemary Potter

hi i am doing some family history research of my great great grandparents who were from llangedeirne they were married in st cynderyn s church i believe in 1835 they were william walters and mary aaron any one out there could be related to me ?any leads would be very appreciated Rose Potter
- on September 24, 2016 at 10:08 am | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  Glad to give you a place to put your query!
  I hope someone else out there happens on it and can help you in your search.
  Best wishes 🙂
on March 11, 2017 at 8:46 pm | Reply Stephen Simon

Nice photos!! Are there any lists of gravestone/monument inscriptions for the
cemeteries near the Bethel Baptist Chapel?? I am related to Evans and
Rees.
Thanks!!
- on March 12, 2017 at 8:49 am | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  It’s a shame Evans is such a common name – I have Evans ancestors from Llanelli.
  I’m not sure if there is a list that can help you, but Carmarthenshire Family History Society will be able to tell you. This is one of their web pages. I think this may still be the email of the organiser: genuk3@melita.com although my membership has lapsed lately.
  Hope that helps 🙂
  - on May 7, 2017 at 11:04 pm Stephen Simon
    
    Thanks. Sorry to take so long to respond. A kind genealogist took photos of some of my Rees family at Bethel. Have to find someone to go to
    Llangendeirne churchyard.
on April 21, 2019 at 9:55 pm | Reply Edward

I am trying to find out if I have any living relatives that may reside at Henblas Farm, Crwbin, Kidwelly SA17 5DS. My grandfather was born in Llangendeirne and lived in the Ty-canol house on Llangendeirne Mountain. His brother Thomas Thomas (1874-1952) bought the house at an auction in 1905. Thomas Thomas’s son David Thomas (1907-1958) was a Diary Farmer. In the 1939 cenus it shows David at the Henblas Farm. I am trying to find out if he rented the farm or bought it and if there are any Thomas family members living there. Thanks
- on April 22, 2019 at 11:00 am | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  I hope someone sees this and has news for you 🙂
on April 29, 2019 at 9:08 am | Reply Sian Davies

I have a brickwall with my great grandmother. I know who her father is but not her mother. DNA is giving me several matches to Llangendeirne and the name Thomas. She was born in Llanelli in around 1837. I know this is her maternal side as I only have this link in Carmarthenshire, her father was from Hereford living in Llandeilo with wife and children. One match is to a Lizzie Thomas Davies who was born around 1880. She was an orphan born Llangendeirne. Would like to find her mothers family
- on May 19, 2019 at 1:16 pm | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  I hope someone happens on your comment on this blog and can help.
  I am finding Welsh parish records very trying – either because records are missing or there are so many people with the same names.
  Best of luck in knocking down your brick wall.
  All the best 🙂
on May 31, 2019 at 9:28 am | Reply Jennifer

I am descended from the Margaret Treharne 1791 – 1864 who married William Marks huge family Tree and I have just received the marriage certificate for her daughter Phoebe Marks 1825 – 1906 she married John Jones 1825 -1909 in 1850 their address was given for them both of them as Kilmarch they were both servants there . They were married in the Parish church in Llangyndeirne and the vicar was Daniel Jones Can anybody shed any light on where Kilmarch was in the vicinity . I live in Llanelli and would love to visit the area
- on June 2, 2019 at 10:49 am | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  I think I maybe have a clue after half an hour of searching online – go to the last link in this comment if you don’t want to read about my red herrings!
  A Kilmarch is mentioned in an old newspaper article asking for permission to build a South Wales railway line – see here, among other Carmarthenshire place names such as Llangunnor, which maybe suggests there was a now lost place called Kilmarch.
  On Ancestry Phoebe seems to be living in Llanwinio in 1841 and the banns seem to have been read in Llandyfaelog over by Kidwelly.
  I expect you know all that.
  But then I found this on the Welsh newspapers library website.
  Someone from Kilmarch won a ploughing match at Llandefeilog – so maybe it is near there?
  Good luck with your searching 🙂
on March 15, 2020 at 9:27 pm | Reply Roy

Hi.

A random bit of searching has directed me to your interesting site. You seem to have local knowledge and have visited the Llangendeirne graveyard and possibly may be able to help. I have been doing family history on Treharnes from the area and have been trying to track down any pictures of Treharne gravestones without much luck, as they maybe able to resolve relationships.

I have found one picture posted by someone at Family search of relevance. If I knew how to post a picture of the gravestone I would, it is quite distinctive like a little temple, but you can see it here https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/L51Y-Q39. With your local knowledge I wonder if you would sometime be able to identify where in the graveyard it is as hopefully there are others buried nearby.

For those interested in Treharnes from the area the transcription of the gravestone is:

In/Memory of Jane, Wife of/Wm. Treharne of this parish, died/Nov.r 15 1822 aged 47 Years/Here Also Lieth the Body of the/Aforesaid Wm. Treharne of Van, who/died Nov.r 21 1842 Aged 71 Years/Also John son of David & Ann/Owens Van who died March 2nd/1853 Aged 8 Years.

These details match information I have found and the John Owens mentioned is William’s grandson.

William was a Lime Burner of Van/Plasbach Llangendeirne and his son William Treharne (also a Lime Burner) and family emigrated to America in 1849 on the S.S. Buena Vista, one of the early converts/pioneers of the Mormon faith from Wales.

There should also definitely be the gravestone of a John Treharne of Glyn Syllen (of Llanelly) (William’s father), who in his will from 1825, specifically asks to be buried in Llangendeirne as close as possible to existing relative buried there.
- on March 31, 2020 at 2:47 pm | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  I’m afraid I have very little local knowledge as I live quite a long way away in Cardiff – same country but not the same county. I have visited Llangendeirne only once.
  I do hope someone else will see this message and perhaps be able to help you. Stranger things have happened in the past!
  I enjoyed your story – I have worked with Treharnes in the past and it seems to be a grand old Welsh surname.
  All the best 🙂
on January 8, 2021 at 5:52 pm | Reply Richard Perkins

My wife’s ancestors Richard Edmund/Edmond was born in Llangendeirne in 1820. In 1851 he was living at Llwyn-y-bestach? with his wife Elizabeth. he worked variously as a stonemason and farmer of sometimes 30 and sometimes 60 acres. From 1861 to 1881 at least they lived at Van House. They had 8 children – John, Thomas, Ann, David, Elizabeth, Esther, Margaret and Jane. By 1891 Richard was working as a sculptor and lived with his daughter Margaret and her husband David Owens. If anyone recognises any of this please get in touch with me at rvynerp@btinternet.com
- on January 17, 2021 at 4:09 pm | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  A sculptor? That’s unusual!
  I hope you have luck tracking down relatives.
  All the best 🙂
on January 22, 2021 at 1:38 am | Reply lyndahirst1

Lovely photos and interesting background information fleshes the area out for me. Thanks for posting 🙂 I’m tracking Anthony cousins – of which there are far too many with the same names and ages lol. Wish me luck!
- on January 31, 2021 at 12:44 pm | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  Indeed I do wish you luck – but believe me when I say the Evans name is even more common…
  Best wishes 🙂
on February 22, 2021 at 12:55 pm | Reply Jason

Hi Everyone, a very interesting site. My name is Jason and I grew up in the Llanelli area and still live in the local area about 15 miles from Llangenderine. I am researching my family tree and I have a lot of ancestry from Llangendeirne – Both the parents of my Nan Beryl Lodwig from Pontyates were from Llangenderine.

Her Father was John Lodwig (B- 1877 Llangenderine.) his parents were Thomas Lodwig (B- 1835 Llangenderine.) and his mum Catherine (B- 1856 Llanelli.)

Her mum was Margret Davies (B- 1879 Llangenderine.) her parents were John Davies (B- 1835 Llangenderine.) and her mum Elizabeth (B- 1836 Llangenderine.)

Any information about any Davies or Lodwigs from Llangenderine area would be really useful, I thought it might be worth visiting the church too there does anyone know if the church has any records going back before the 1830s ?
- on February 28, 2021 at 12:32 pm | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  Thank you for your comment. I have a soft spot for the Lodwig surname as I knew someone by that name when I was a student archaeologist in the 1970s.
  I doubt if there are records before the 1830s in the church, although the Carmarthenshire Family History Society will probably have recorded everything that exists.
  I can’t recall where I found my information now but I certainly have a note that my great great grandfather James Peregrine, B- 1809 Llangendeirne married Mary Davies/Davis, B- 1812 in Llangendeirne. They married on 6/7/1832. Her parents were, I think, Rees Davies and Margaret Thomas. Davis/Davies is a common name, but we could be related…
  Good luck with finding out more about your ancestors.
  All the best 🙂
- on February 28, 2021 at 12:38 pm | Reply Roy
  
  Hi. Both Ancestry and Find my Past. have Carmarthenshire parish records on line e.g. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/62102/ and https://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-united-kingdom-records-in-birth-marriage-death-and-parish-records (here, when searching start typing in Carmarthenshire in the the Record Set, then chose the appropriate one, Baptisms, burials or marriages, to search under). If you subscribe to this site https://ukgo1.com/ they also have lots of parish records for Carmarthenshire. There are many variants of the Lodwig spelling, Lodwick, Lodowick etc., so look out for that.
  - on March 4, 2021 at 5:34 pm squirrelbasket
    
    Thank you for this – I have been a little out of touch with my ancestry hunts lately.
    Best wishes 🙂
on March 4, 2021 at 8:05 am | Reply Chris Pitcher

Thank you fot the excellent pictures of Llangendeirne. My Great great great grandfather John Jenkins and his wife Mary (nee Griffiths) appear on the 1891, 1901 and 1911 census living at Plasbach. They had at least thee sons David, James and William. John later moved to Annedale, Pencader and I believe lived next door to his brother William in Castle House. I’m looking for John’s grave. he died March 31st 1939. His brother William is buried at Pencader and has a beautifully kept grave. It would be amazing to track down any descendants.
Regards
- on March 4, 2021 at 5:33 pm | Reply squirrelbasket
  
  I hope someone passing by this post may be able to help.
  Best wishes 🙂
on October 14, 2021 at 12:23 am | Reply Alun Edwards

Just stumbled on this post and immediately recognized the Llangyndeyrn name – but also PEREGRINE. I also have family links – my great great grandfather was John Peregrine born in Llangyndeyrn about 1811 but seemed to have farmed near Llannon. His parents were David Peregrine and Mary Rees and David died in Llangyndeyrn in 1852. I haven’t delved deeply and didn’t look for John’s siblings – but the dates suggest John and (your James) could have been brothers or close cousins.
I’d be very interested if you have links back to David Peregrine and Mary Rees and have information about them or earlier.

Just to add a bit of colour to the Llangyndeyrn story – I came across the plans to flood the valley back in the 1960s. http://www.llangyndeyrn.org/en/videos/remember/
- on October 14, 2021 at 4:48 pm | Reply Alun Edwards
  
  I see from Family Search that John Peregrine had an older brother, James who was born in Llangendeirne in 1806 and died in Llanelli in 1890. (Pembrey is close enough for administrative purposes, I’m sure).