Church in Wales Plwyf / Parish of Llandeilo Fawr, Maesteilo and Taliaris

Bearing witness to Jesus Christ in Llandeilo, Ffairfach and surrounding rural communities

> Home > Activities > People > Weekly Bulletin > History > Links > Body Building > Llandeilo Gospels > Maesteilo > Taliaris e-mail the Vicar	Holy Trinity Church, Taliaris The first certain date in the history of Taliaris Church is 1660. Our source is the board in the north transept, which tells us that, in or about that year, William Gwynne of Taliaris House rebuilt the chapel, which had long lain in ruins. The rebuilding of 1660 also began a period of nearly three centuries in which this church was supported by the family of Taliaris House, initially the Gwynnes, then Lord Robert Seymour and later the Peels. The present building dates from the second rebuilding in the nineteenth century, but the handsome memorial in the chancel to William’s son David Gwynne (d.1721), survives from the older building. Another survival from the eighteenth century is the communion plate donated by the Gwynne family: a paten (hallmarked 1694) given by Anne widow of William Gwynne, and a chalice given by Elizabeth Gwynne in 1775. These pieces are still used on festivals and special occasions. The building of 1660 seems to have been a simple box-like structure, but it was enlarged in the early eighteenth century when Roland Gwynne (another of William’s sons) added a cross-aisle or transept. Taliaris Chapel in the eighteenth century functioned as an independent unit within the parish of Llandeilo Fawr. It continued to be under the patronage of the Gwynnes, and to receive their financial support, until the last of the family, Elizabeth, sold the estate in 1787. Lord Robert Seymour, who purchased the Taliaris estate in 1787, continued the Gwynne’s tradition of church patronage. In 1829, he built the north transept of the church, to balance the ‘cross-aisle’ (south transept). Also in 1829, Lord Robert built a parsonage house for Taliaris Chapel, and donated eight acres of land for its support. The house, since then known as The Vicarage, still stands some half a mile north of the church, as a testimony to Lord Robert’s generosity. When Lord Robert died in 1831, the estate was purchased by Robert Peel of Cwmelan, Radnorshire (first cousin to Sir Robert Peel). The 1890s were a significant decade in the church’s history. The entire church was rebuilt in 1893, on this occasion by Herbert Peel. Peel also enlarged the churchyard and the Vicarage grounds. In 1912, Taliaris acquired a further feature of a parish church: a church hall. The Church Room has now been sold (and converted into a house), the proceeds being used to improve and restore the church. The 1960s were to be a period of great change. The Peel family was sadly bereaved of its only male descendant with the death, in 1954, of Robert Peel (Robin) at the age of twenty-three, only three years after the death of his father, Humphrey Peel. Mrs Peel, his mother, retained the house until 1967, when it was sold. Things were changing within the church, too. By the late sixties, it was becoming clear that it was no longer financially sensible to maintain a full-time clergyman in every parish. In 1968, Taliaris passed first into the pastoral care of the Vicar of Manordeilo and then, in 1979, to the Vicar of Llandeilo, where it remains to this day. The vicarage, like so many rural vicarages, was sold. By the 1980s, the pattern of services at Taliaris had become twice monthly, but the church retains a faithful congregation of worshippers, who are supplemented at Harvest Festival, Carol Service, Christmas Day and Easter by a much wider congregation. Holy Trinity, Taliaris, has had a challenging time of adjustment in the past three decades. This little church, well maintained and cared for by its congregation, and set in a position of exceptional beauty, continues to serve as a place of worship for the surrounding countryside as it has done since Bishop Taylor consecrated it in the 1660s. This history (slightly updated) is taken from articles, by the then incumbent The Revd Dr William Strange, first published in the parish magazine Y Groesfaen, in 1992 and 1994. Copies of Dr Strange’s complete articles are available at Taliaris Church or from h_lloyd_davies@hotmail.com
Home : Activities : People : Weekly Bulletin : History : Links : Body Building : Llandeilo Gospels : Maesteilo : Taliaris