Llanymynech / Llanemneych / Lanmenagh / Llan-y-Mynech / Llanymyneche

Fewtrell (1879) writes: "The church is dedicated to St. Agatha [...] The exact date of the foundation of St. Agatha's is unknown [...] At the Norman Conquest this district fell to the Fitz Alan family, and included the presentation to the living [...] From this it may be concluded that the foundation was prior to the Norman Conquest [...] The first recorded account of the church is in the dispute which took place between Anian II, Bishop of St. Asaph (1268-93), and the widow of John Fitz Alan, Isabella de Mortimer." Fewtrell (ibid.) describes the medieval church here as chiefly in the Early English style, and includes a discarded font in it: "The font, in the same style of architecture as the church, stood near the chancel. It is octagonal, with foliage ornamenting the spaces at the sides. At the present time it is used as a flower vase in a garden near the village". Interestingly Fewtrell (ibid.) writes of the font installed in the new church built in 1845, not the discarded medieval font, but one from elsewhere: "The font is Norman having on one side a Latin cross, and on the other the following:- 'This Font, which formerly belonged to Beachampton Church, in the County of Buckingham, was once more replaced in a sacred edifice by Arthur Viscount Dungannon, A.D. 1845'. Lord Dungannon found it in a bye-lane used as a drinking-trough for cattle, and after having it cleaned, and the outer surface taken off, placed it in the care of the Rev. J. Luxmoore, an old friend of his; hence its appearance in this church. It has capacity sufficient to immerse the body of an infant in the water. A smaller ornamental basin of earthenware is used at present, and is placed inside the hollow of the font. It was presented by the Rev. J. Luxmoore." Luxmoore was responsible for "A perfect Inventory of the Books, the Plate, Vestments, and other Utensils of the Church", in which "one Font Stone" is entered, annotated thus by Fewtrell (ibid.): "The Font Stone at the same time was taken away, and placed as an ornament in a neighbouring garden", obviously referring to the Early English font [cf. supra]. Fewtrell (ibid.) writes also of a holy well located in the nearby Town Field, known as "St. Agatha's Well" or "Baptism Well", a well that "gained so much veneration, that its waters alone were considered eflicacious in the administration of Holy Baptism [...] their [early missionaries'] first converts were baptized; and hence, after a church had been built, the water for Holy Baptism long continued to be taken". The present font is octagonal and it is probably one introduced at a later date; it is octagonal with deeply-carved basin sides. [NB: cf. supra, Fewtrell's description of the medieval font discarded in a nearby garden -- we have no information on the whereabouts [fate?] of the Norman font from Beachampton].