text: st edwen 's church , llanedwen st edwen 's church , llanedwen is a 19th - century parish church near the menai strait , in anglesey , north wales . the first church was founded here by st edwen ( daughter of edwin of northumbria , king and saint ) in 640 , but the present structure dates from 1856 and was designed by henry kennedy , the architect of the diocese of bangor . it contains some memorials from the 17th and 18th centuries and a reading desk that reuses panel work from the 14th and 17th centuries . the 18th - century historian henry rowlands was vicar here , and is buried in the churchyard . the church is on land that forms part of the plas newydd estate , home of the family of the marquess of anglesey since 1812 and owned by the national trust . some of the marquesses of anglesey , and some of their employees , are also buried in the churchyard . the church is used for worship by the church in wales , one of seven in a combined parish . a service is held using the book of common prayer each sunday morning . st edwen 's is one of the few churches in regular use in wales to be lit entirely by candles . it is a grade ii listed building , a national designation given to " buildings of special interest , which warrant every effort being made to preserve them " , in particular because it is regarded as " a good example of h kennedy 's designs for a small - scale rural church . " history and location st edwen 's church is in the south of anglesey , north wales , in a rural area known as llanedwen . it is about 5 miles ( 8 km ) from the county town of llangefni , about 1 mile ( 1 . 6 km ) from the road between and brynsiencyn and about 250 metres ( 270 yds ) from the menai strait that separates anglesey from the rest of wales . the church is on land that forms part of the plas newydd estate , which has been the home of the family of the marquess of anglesey since 1812 ; some of the former marquesses and their employees are buried in the churchyard . plas newydd and its grounds are now owned by the national trust . the area of llanedwen takes its name from the church : the welsh word llan originally meant " enclosure " and then " church " . according to the 19th - century anglesey historian angharad llwyd , the first church in the area was established by st edwen in 640 . nothing is known of edwen 's life , but according to the manuscript sources , she was the daughter – perhaps the illegitimate daughter – or the niece of edwin of northumbria , a king who converted to christianity in 627 and who was venerated as a saint after his death in 633 . the 12th - century writer geoffrey of monmouth said that edwin was born whilst his mother was taking refuge in north wales with cadfan ap iago . llwyd described the church in 1833 as " a small but neat edifice , of great antiquity " . in 1840 , the church was rebuilt by john welch . writing in 1847 , the clergyman and antiquarian harry longueville jones said that st edwen 's was in the early perpendicular style , although its windows had been replaced , and measured 52 by 16 feet ( 16 by 5 m ) . the welsh politician and church historian sir stephen glynne visited in may 1850 . he said that it was " a very small church in a lovely situation " , which had " a beautiful view over the menai " . in 1856 , the church seen by llwyd , jones and glynne was demolished and the present structure was erected , designed by henry kennedy , architect of the diocese of bangor . the only part of the old church to survive was some of the stonework at the base of the west wall . some repair work was carried out in 1956 . st edwen 's , which is used for worship by the church in wales , is one of seven churches in the combined benefice ( churches grouped together under an incumbent priest ) of bro dwynwen . a service is held every sunday morning using the 1662 book of common prayer , either holy communion or morning prayer ; there are no midweek services . the parish is within the deanery of synod ynys mon , the archdeaconry of bangor and the diocese of bangor . as of 2016 , the priest in charge is the reverend e roberts and the associate priest is canon professor leslie francis . people associated with the church include henry rowlands , vicar of st nidan 's , llanidan , and its associated churches ( including st edwen 's ) in the first part of the 18th century . he wrote a history of anglesey entitled mona antiqua restaurata , published in 1723 . he is buried in the churchyard to the west of the door . his tombstone is inscribed in latin with the words : " all things are nought save what he gave to needy ones . these have force when arts perish and writings fall to pieces . " william bulkeley hughes , who lived in the parish and died in 1882 , is also buried in the churchyard . he was a member of parliament for 40 years . the churchyard contains one commonwealth war grave , of a first world war officer of the westmorland and cumberland yeomanry . architecture and fittings st edwen 's is built from local red gritstone , formed into square blocks and dressed with sandstone . the roof is made from slate with stone edging . the church , which is in the late decorated style , has a tower topped with a broach spire at the north - west corner of the nave , supported by buttresses . the church is entered through a porch with an arched doorway in the lowest of the three stages of the tower . inside , the woodwork of the roof is exposed ; some of the nave timbers might be medieval beams reused in the 1856 rebuilding . the nave and chancel are divided by an arch and by three steps leading up from the nave . the chancel and sanctuary are separated by an altar rail set on top of some wooden panels . there is a pair of windows in the west wall decorated with tracery ( stonework within the window frame forming a pattern ) . scenes from the bible and geometric patterns are shown in the stained glass , and birds ( phoenix and peacock ) are depicted at the top of the windows . the glass is dedicated to rice robert hughes , a clergyman who died in 1801 . there are three arched windows in the south wall of the nave ; the stained glass of the easternmost ( dedicated to william bulkeley hughes ) shows biblical scenes . the easternmost window of the three in the north wall of the nave is dedicated to thomas bulkeley hughes ( who died in 1836 ) , his wife and children . the chancel has one window in the east wall , which has three lights ( sections of window separated by stone mullions ) . the pulpit has some 19th - century oak panelling and reuses some ornate 17th - century panel work that is decorated with pictures of cherubs , dragons , dogs and lions ' heads . the pews are made of pine ; the choir stalls also have some carved oak panels that may date from the 17th century . a reading desk from the 19th century reuses material from the 14th and 17th centuries , depicting a lion , a griffin and angels . the church also has an eight - sided sandstone font decorated with a carved cross . a survey in 1937 by the royal commission on ancient and historical monuments in wales and monmouthshire recorded seven 17th and 18th century memorials within the church , the oldest in memory of a thomas owen who died in 1646 . the tombs in the churchyard include one of a sidney griffith ( died 1618 ) and more than 20 others from the 17th and 18th centuries . the survey also noted some oak dog tongs , likely to be from the 19th century , and three 17th - century chairs . a survey of church plate within the bangor diocese in 1906 recorded an engraved chalice dated 1842 and a paten dated 1776 – 77 ; both are made from silver and are decorated with foliage . a silver flagon bears an inscription to denote that it was given by william bulkeley hughes when the new church was consecrated in 1856 . the survey also noted a flagon from about 1700 and a dish , both made of pewter , but said that an 18th - century silver chalice had been lost some time after 1811 . st edwen 's is one of the few churches in regular use in wales to be lit only by candles . assessment st edwen 's has national recognition and statutory protection from alteration as it has been designated as a grade ii listed building – the lowest of the three grades of listing , designating " buildings of special interest , which warrant every effort being made to preserve them " . it was given this status on 23 april 1998 , and has been listed because it is seen as " a good example of h kennedy 's designs for a small - scale rural church " . cadw ( the welsh government body responsible for the built heritage of wales and the inclusion of welsh buildings on the statutory lists ) also notes the fittings that incorporate " some fine carved work of the 14th and 17th centuries . " sabine baring - gould , writing in 1908 , said that the rebuilt church was " wholly devoid of interest " . a 2009 guide to the buildings of the region notes that the incorporated church building society ( active in the 19th century ) considered kennedy 's design was " inconsistent with the gravity of feeling which pervades the ancient churches of wales . " harry longueville jones wrote in 1847 that the churchyard was " one of the most interesting in anglesey , from its picturesque appearance and situation . " a 2006 guide to the churches of anglesey describes st edwen 's as " a good example of an unspoilt 19th century country church " , adding that is " little changed since it was built . " it says that it is in a " tranquil spot " , and notes that it is a landmark " visible from a considerable distance " .