Llanfaglan

St Baglan's church, Llanfaglan

Llanfaglan is a parish in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It lay in the medieval cwmwd of Is Gwyrfai.

Llanfaglan is located 2 miles south-west of Caernarfon on the shore of the Menai Strait. Fort Belan, a Grade I listed building is at the extremity of the parish guarding the entrance of the Strait.

The church in Llanfaglan, St Baglan's (Grid reference SH 455 606) stands alone in the middle of a field and is now a friendless church owned by the Friends of Friendless Churches. The church, which may have a pre-Christian foundation, contains a stone inscribed Lovernus Fil. Other stones date to the 5th and 6th centuries. Although the Christian church probably dates from the 13th century, additions date from the 17th century as do the internal fittings. The church remains consecrated and is still in occasional use.

Baglan's Well

Next to the church in an open field once stood a well known as Ffynnon Faglan or Baglan's Well. Llanfaglan was said to be the holy place of St. Baglan yg Coet Alun and the erection of the well was attributed to him. The water in the well was said to have healing powers. The afflicted area would be bathed and then into the well would be dropped a pin. The well was used also for the cure of warts. The wart would be washed, pricked with a pin and the pin then thrown into the well. The well was subsequently dredged in the nineteenth century (two basins of bent pins were recovered) and no longer exists. A font is carved into the rock within a few yards of the site of the well.

External links

• Its CISP database entry
• Friends of Friendless Churches: St Baglan's Church, Llanfaglan
• Folklore of Welsh wells (including a discussion on Baglan's Well)
• www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Llanfaglan and surrounding area