Opposite the old Church Tavern which dates to a 13th century barn is Vaynor church. This church replaced an earlier one which became dilapidated by 1867 and the Crawshays had a new church built which was completed in 1870.
One of the most remarkable memorials in the Churchyard is the grave of Robert Thompson Crawshay, known as the ‘Iron King’. It is covered by a slab of stone said to weigh 9 tons. His wife famously had the inscription ‘God forgive me’ written on his grave. This has been interpreted as meaning that he was sorry for actions such as closing the Cyfarthfa Works and making hundreds of his workforce destitute or possibly also the way he behaved towards his own family.
The original Vaynor Church was built in 874 but was burnt down during the battle of Maesvaynor which took place in 1291. The church is dedicated to St Gwynno.
There are lots of stories and legends about Vaynor, one is that the church tower was often used as a temporary prison and that a thief sleeping overnight there, discovered 100s of skulls.
In the 19th century, on building the new cross roads for a new road nearby, workmen came across a grave of skeletons believed to have been from the battle of Vaynor. They were moved to the old churchyard and put in a grave.
Local folklore says that around 30 years ago , there was really bad weather in the area and a bank collapsed exposing the skeleton’s still had helmets on.
Written by Anthony Thomas
