St Clydog’s Church and holy well, Clodock

Mass pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Clydog led to the construction of a chapel, although only an ancient church and holy well remain to honour his memory

‍Highlights

• Former burial site of St. Clydog
• Holy well

Its neglected holy well aside, Clodock offers a picturesque reminder of the early martyr St. Clydog, who was buried here in the 6th century. It is fair to point out that his martyrdom had more to do with a love triangle gone wrong than any saintly sacrifice. But he was admired for leading a godly life too.

The village church is a pretty stone building, dating from the 12th century and later. An inscribed slab was found locally dating from the 9th century, confirming an early Christian settlement here. It is displayed at the far end of the nave behind the pulpit, a tombstone for the ‘wife of Guinndas’, an unknown inhabitant.

There is, however, no remnant of a saint’s shrine anywhere in the building. The church certainly attracted pilgrims in later years, particularly on 3 November, St. Clydog’s festival day. The saint was either buried in this church or by the holy well on the opposite bank of the river. This well is now a tiny recess under a stone cover, half hidden by undergrowth. The water is at least accessible in a shallow, stone-lined pool. It is a minute’s walk from the church.

St. Clydog was a local king who wanted to marry a nobleman’s daughter. His love rival slew him with a sword during a hunting trip. The king’s followers placed his body on a cart, but it broke down while crossing the river at Clodock so they decided to bury him and build a church here.

We only know of the saint from manuscripts written 600 years after his death. He belongs to Welsh tradition, a grandson of the famous King Brychan whose descendants include many of the earliest Celtic saints (see St. Clether in Cornwall). Clodock itself was part of Wales until Henry VIII shifted the border. The church is on both the Golden Valley Pilgrim Way and the Twin Valley Pilgrim Trail.

Directions‍

St. Clydog’s Church, Clodock & Longtown HR2 0PD‍

bmgparishes.org.uk‍

W3W: giggle.twit.tabs (church)

GPS: 51.9419N 2.9814W (church)

W3W: brother.notch.will (well)

GPS: 51.9408N 2.9805W (well)‍

Clodock is half a mile south of Longtown. Its church is in the middle of the village and kept open. For the holy well, walk east beside the churchyard along the road signed to Walterstone. After 100m, the road crosses the River Monnow. On the far side, take the footpath on the right and walk along the riverbank for 50m until you see the holy well on the left beside the path.