St Idloes Parish Church

 

This is a rare-as-hens'-teefs dedication, an in fact, this is the ONLY church which is dedicated to St Idloes, who lived in the early 7th C, and indeed gave the town its name of Llan-Idloes.  Idloes was a Confessor,  and son of Gwyddnabi ab Llawfrodedd Farfog and his Feast Day was 6th September.  Apparently he wasn't celibate as he had a daughter, Meddvyth, who was also sainted.  Lewis Glyn Cothi, the bardic poet who used to visit the Lloyds at our old home, back in the late 1400s, mentioned him when writing of another individual, "He was an aged knight, of good morals, like Sadwrn or Idloes".  His grandfather, Llawfrodded Farfog, was known in Welsh legend, and was "one of the three Tribe-Herdsmen of the Isle of Britain"  and tended the kine (cattle) of Nudd Hael, in whose herd were 21,000 milch cows!  His own cow, named Cornillo, was one of the "Three Chief Cows" of the island, and indeed, even his own knife was celebrated, being one of "the Thirteen Treasures of the Island" as it would "serve four and twenty men at meat all at once."  OK, your eyes have probably glazed over by now but I like to keep such writings alive, and they interest me. (I shall pursue the rabbit hole which is Nudd Hael later!!)

Apologies for it being so dark and gloomy, but if there was a light switch, I couldn't find it!  You can just see the wonderful columns on the left which form the Early English Arcade.  These came from the monastery of Abbeycwmhir, about 10 miles to the East.  Thank heavens they were saved.  They date from the 13th C and apparently made by craftsmen who worked at Worcester Cathedral, and also at Llandaff and St David's.

Such wonderful craftsmanship - the guidebook states that the foliage on the capitals is "equal in workmanship to those of Lincoln Cathedral".  

The roof is "perhaps the greatest glory of the church" and also came from Abbeycwmhir - a shame it was so dark I couldn't get a decent photo.  Best I can do is the glorious angels, which are later than the hammer-beamed roof, and were probably put in position when the main timbers of the roof were moved to Llanidloes and re-erected in 1542.

The beautiful font with its quatrafoils, dates from the first half of the 14th C, although the base it stands on is modern.

This was an unexpected  bonus - our local family, the Woosnams, were all remembered here.  Bowen Pottinger Woosnam was the chap who bred smart ride and drive ponies, and also colliers, for mine work.  I live in his stables!  

This is the Millennium Window, and represents order from Chaos.  I imagine visiting children would love to spot all the different animals and plants in the stained glass.  I will have to go back and take photos of what I missed, but I was running out of time.

Anyway, the first church post for months and months.  There will be more.  Billy Blue-Eyes - you'll have to go and be more thorough than me and take lots of good photos.

I am off to Tam's now.  Hoping it doesn't snow more as there is a little on the hills but the forecast is for 3 deg or so even in the mountains.