Sources for Breconshire churches and chapels

Books

Theophilius Jones’ History of the County of Brecknock is the starting point for any study of the churches of Breconshire described before Victorian restoration/rebuilding altered the character of many of our churches. The first edition was published in two volumes (1805 and 1809) and reprinted in one volume in 1898. It was updated, incorporating Jones’ original text, in four volumes enhanced by the notes of Joseph Russell Bailey, 1st Baron Glanusk, published in 1909 (Volumes I and II), 1911 (Volume III) and 1930 (Volume IV), the latter published by the Brecknock Society.

Dawson, Mrs Gerald Finch. The Churches of Brecknockshire, 1909. (Now very rare). A snapshot of Breconshire churches at a time when the Victorian churches would have seemed new. Some very interesting descriptions of churches visited and information gathered from incumbents. Also see article on Mrs Dawson in Vol. 15 of Brycheiniog. The CPAT Breconshire Church Survey also references this work.

Scourfield and Haslam, 2013 Buildings of Wales: Powys,

Jenkins, Simon, 2008, Wales: Churches, Houses, Castles

Hughes, T.J. 2006, Wales’s best one hundred Churches, (9 Breconshire Churches plus a few others mentioned in passing)

Brycheiniog articles e.g.

Mike Salter, 2003 The Old Parish Churches of Mid Wales. Folly Publications. http://www.follypublications.co.uk/product/the-old-parish-churches-of-mid-wales/ Only 64 pages but well illustrated.

Websites

Welldigger http://daibach-welldigger.blogspot.com/ These blogs written by David Pike who comes from the evangelical tradition seeks to‘ honour the work of the Holy Spirit in Wales through accounts of people, places and events connected with the history of Christianity and revival’

The Welsh Churches and Chapels Collection - This is a collection of (often extremely good) photographs taken by Brecon-based John Ball.

CPAT Historic Churches Survey database: Between 1995 and 1999 Cadw sponsored the four Welsh Archaeological Trusts to carry out a pan-Wales survey of historic churches. This work, which has involved the visiting and recording of all the 976 pre-19th-century parish churches in the Principality, has produced a significant data set which, it is hoped, will be of use to both professional and private researchers and to members of the public.

Church Heritage Cymru: Created by the Church in Wales, Church Heritage Cymru is an online database containing over 1,350 records of church buildings in Wales. Each record contains information about a church’s architectural, archaeological and artistic heritage. It is continuously being updated and should not be regarded as complete