Welsh Journals

THE PARISH OF HEYOPE PART I THE CHURCH REBUILT By MICHAEL YATES THE GOTHIC CHURCH PULLED DOWN IN 1879 There is little doubt that the Heyope church pulled down in 1879 by the Victorian restorers was standing in 1330-80. The usual date given is the 14th century.1 Heyope's earliest historian, who had the advantage of seeing this church, wrote that it was small, plain, ancient and without any characteristic mark in its architecture by which to designate the period of its erection '.2 It measured 57' by 21'. The nave would very possibly be Norman work (rebuilt entirely or restored), the tower of 13303 and the chancel any time up to 1380, with its small square-headed decor- ated window. There is no record of when this church was built. But if the 19th century was a great time of church-building in Radnorshire, so was the 14th. 1. In 1389 Richard de Raydur was appointed parson.4 2. Two bells still hanging in the church can be dated about 1330 and 1350.5 The font-bowl is of the 14th century.6 3. Wool in the 14th century was what coal was to be in the 19th, the basis of the economy. Wool from the Ryelands sheep of the Welsh border commanded the highest price in the export market to Europe.7 There was therefore agricultural prosperity. 4. Politically, Heyope was basking in the glory of its ambitious rulers, the Mortimers of Wigmore and Knucklas. After the murder of Edward II in 1327, Roger Mortimer III was ruler of England. Again, in 1381 Roger Mortimer V was adopted by Richard II as heir to the throne of England. Heyope had never had it so good. Was there an earlier church ? Eight hundred years ago it was all the rage to argue that a church bearing St. David's name had been founded by him. Unfortunately no list was made of the churches then discussed. We can therefore use only a personal judgment in assessing whether Heyope was one of these or not. The Welsh for Heyope was Llanddewi yn Hiob,8 part Welsh, part Anglian. THE RESTORATION OF Heyope CHURCH The parish church of Saint David in Heyope, as it now stands, was built in 1880 to the designs of John Loughborough Pearson,9 a leading church architect of the high Victorian age '.10 It had been decided to pull the old church down, but to rebuild on the old foundations.11 Some of the fabric of the tower may have been incorporated in the new building.12 Sir Stephen Glynne described the old church for us as it was in 1851. 13 This church has the usual undivided nave and chancel, with south porch and a low, rude tower at the west end, which has the local pointed roof covered with tiles. The tower has no buttresses and its openings are mere slits. The exterior whitewashed. Internally the pulpit is mean there are a few old open benches and the altar is encroached upon by pews. The ceiling flat and modern most of the windows wretched and multilated. One on the south of the chancel is perpendicular, square-