Holy Trinity Church Newcastle Emlyn, Churches and Chapels Newcastle Emlyn, Ceredigion - Wales where to go, what to see and where to stay in Wales

Holy Trinity Church stands on the banks of the River Teifi in Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire, West Wales. <br><br> Built in 1842 the Church has had a troubled history due to defects in the structure of the building. It was extensively repaired in the early 20th Century and yet seventy years on the tower had again fallen into disrepair with severe decay in the stonework and general cracking. A cage of invisible, drilled anchors in conjunction with careful stonework repairs gave it a new lease of life.<br><br> The churchyard contains an interesting memorial to a young soldier. <br><br> During the Rebecca Riots of 1843 the 4th Light Dragoons were sent from Carmarthen to quell the uprising and were quartered in the Workhouse. They had very little to do and some of them decided to go swimming in the River Teify. <br><br> One of the soldiers, an Irishman decided on having a dip in the notorious Pwll Deio William (first pool downstream from the bridge) which had a sinister reputation. It was said that strange undercurrents and very cold springs made it very dangerous to swim across. Anyway, the Irishman dived in off a tree on the Cardiganshire side of the river and was never seen alive again. Several attempts were made to try and locate him and eventually, <br><br> John Jones, a local boy dived in found the body and brought it to the surface, alas too late. The young soldier was given a military funeral by his comrades, watched in awe by the local folk as an event like this had never ever been seen before in Newcastle Emlyn. <br><br> His comrades were going to erect a monument to him in Holy Trinity Churchyard but sadly they were called away to other duties. They entrusted the work to David Davies, Master of the workhouse where they were billeted and he carried out their request.