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These Welsh Princes were the founders of the Abbey, and in their Grant the churches of Llansadwrn, Llanwrda, Llansawel, and Pumsant are mentioned as chapels under Cynwyl Gaio. Of these, Llansadwrn now forms a separate vicarage, having Llanwrda annexed to it as a chapelry; Llansawel is still subject to Cynwyl Gaio, and Pumsant is the name of a place in the parish of Caio, where tradition states there was formerly a chapel, of which no vestiges now remain.

The subordination of churches, described as prevailing to so great an extent in Wales, may at first appear surprising; it is however no theory, for it actually exists at this very day, and all that has been done is to endeavour to account for the causes which produced it. The arrangement made will be found intimately connected with the Saints to whom the Welsh churches are dedicated; for if any of them were founded by the persons whose names they bear, they must be those which retain the greatest evidences of antiquity.

in the castle of Ogmore, on the bank of a river of the same name, as the curacy of Wick, now subject to St. Bride's, is too far from the river to merit the appellation, and most large castles had formerly a chapel within their precincts. The chapel of Llamphey must have been situate in the hamlet so called in the parish of St. Bride's, and the omission of Wick affords a presumption that it was founded after the date of the Grant. In those documents, however, where chapels are altogether omitted, it must follow, that if they existed in the time of the record, the name of the mother church was considered sufficient to include its dependencies.

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SECTION II.

The Subordination of Churches and Chapels considered in reference to the Saints to whom they are dedicated.

In an enquiry into the question, by whom and at what time the several churches of Wales were founded, great assistance may be derived from the names of the Saints to whom they are dedicated. In forming a classification, two grand divisions immediately present themselves ;-the Saints which have been admitted into the Romish Calendar, and those who are natives of the country, or otherwise connected with its history. The characteristics of both kinds are so different, that they can hardly be conceived to belong to the same people, or indeed to the same religion. In the time of St. Augustin the Monk, there was already in Wales a Christian Church, furnished with Bishops, Monasteries, stated places of worship, and other appendages of a religious establishment. It refused to submit to the authority of the Pope, and proofs are not wanting to show that it continued its independence for some time afterwards, until, from the intercourse of foreigners, and the gradual subjugation of the Welsh people, it merged into Catholicism. It might naturally be concluded that the native Saints belonged to the primitive Church of the country, and that the places of worship called after their names were of older foundation than those dedicated to Saints of the Catholic Calendar. It will not be amiss, therefore, to give the result of an examination of all

* A. D. 600.

+ Bede's Ecclesiastical History, Book II. Chap. 2.

the dedications in Wales, according to Ecton's Thesaurus, edited by Browne Willis ;* and greater pleasure is felt in appealing to that book, as it is of generally received authority, and its Editor was utterly unconscious of the conclusions that are here sought to be maintained.

The Saints, to whom the greatest number of churches are dedicated, are St. Mary the Virgin, St. Michael, and St. David. Those dedicated to St. Mary are as follow, and it should be observed that care is taken to distinguish chapelries from benefices.t

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* Bacon, in his "Liber Regis," appears to follow the authority of Browne Willis, with a few corrections.

The letters R. V. P. and C. affixed to benefices, denote Rectory, Vicarage, Prebend, and Curacy; and it must be noticed that those Curacies only are so designated which do not acknowledge a dependence upon any other church. The chapels, subject to churches of St. Mary, are printed in Italics; and their Saints, as well as those of parent churches, connected with the names in the list, are added, except where omitted by Browne Willis.

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Creswell,-chapel to Clodock, Walterstone, C. (St. Clydog.)

MONTGOMERYSHIRE.

Kerry, V.*

RADNORSHIRE.

Bleddfa, R.

Newchurch, R.

Abbey Cwm-Hir,-chapel to Bettws,-chapel to Diserth (St.

Llanbister (St. Cynllo.)

Pilleth,-chapel to Llangynllo

(St. Cynllo.)

Gladestry, R.

Cewydd.)

Llanfaredd,-chapel to Aberedw (St. Cewydd.)

CARMARTHENSHIRE.

Eglwys Fair a Churig,-chapel to Henllan Amgoed (St. David.) Eglwys Fair Lantaf,-chapel to Llanboidy (St. Brynach.) Kidwelly, V.-5 ruinated Chapels.-Capel Teilo (St. Teilo;) Llanfihangel (St. Michael;)

Coker; Cadog (St. Cadog;) and St. Thomas.

Llanfair ar y Bryn,-chapel to Llandingad (St. Dingad.) Capel Mair, in ruins,-chapel to Talley (St. Michael.)

Kerry is dedicated to St. Michael; but the authority of Browne Willis is followed, in order to preserve the proportion which this and the two succeeding lists bear to each other, including all inaccuracies.

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