The Church of St Gallgo's, Llanallgo, is situated on the outskirts of Moelfre on the north east coast of Anglesey, North Wales. The church is dedicated to Saint Gallgo and is one of the oldest Christian sites in Anglesey. Gallgo, the brother of Eugrad and of sister, Peithian, settled in Anglesey in the sixth century, fleeing the advance of the Picts who were invading what is now known as Scotland. Maelgwn, King of Gwynedd, granted the two brothers and their sister, land in a remote part of Anglesey
where they established their llannau. Maelgwn died in 547 so we can say that Gallgo, Eugrad and Peithian arrived in this remote part of Anglesey in the early part of the sixth century. |
The present churches of Llanallgo and Llaneugrad have been in a single parish since at least 1253 when they were taxed 17s9d to help pay for the crusades! In March 1320 there was a murder in the church! Three prisoners escaped from Beaumaris Castle and were chased as they made for their homes in the Anglesey wilderness. One of them leuan Cwta was run to earth in Llanallgo Church where he sought sanctuary at St. Gallgo's altar. Sanctuary was not granted and he met his death there.|
But Llanallgo Church is most renowned as the burial place for many of the victims of the shipwreck of the Royal Charter in October 1859. The precise number of dead is uncertain as the passenger list was lost in the wreck, but about 459 lives were lost, the highest death toll of any shipwreck on the Welsh coast. Of those who perished 140 lie in the graveyard at Llanallgo, 64 are buried in Llaneugrad, 45 in Penrhosllugwy. Others lie in the graveyards of the parishes on the beaches of which they were washed up.|
The original church would have been of wattle and daub construction, of which nothing remains. Much of the present church is of Victorian construction. Parts of the chancel and the transepts date from the 15th century. Parts of the east window date from the same time. The glass of the east window is Victorian and portrays Jesus walking on the waters of the Sea of Galilee stilling the storm and reminding disciples of His presence. In the south wall of the chancel there is another contemporary window with two cinquefoil lights in a square head window, others are found in the eastern wall and in the south wall of the south transept. In the north transept there is another in the east wall. The roofs are mainly modern but a few trusses may be late medieval. In the chancel there is a wagon roof which is simply decorated. It obscures the point of the east window and the additional trusses which were placed to strengthen the roof. A sketch of 1859 shows the wagon roof in the chancel together with a rood screen but there is no sign of the wagon roofs in the transepts. These must have been added later in the restoration during late Victorian times.
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