Eglwysilan

Eglwysilan is an ecclesiastical parish and hamlet in Wales, within the community of Aber Valley in the unitary authority of Caerphilly County Borough.

Prior to the Norman conquest of England, and the subsequent invasion, Wales did not have a formal structure of parishes. In the 12th Century, a formal parish was defined - an area of more than 30,000 acres extending from Rumney to Abercynon, including both Caerphilly and Llanfabon.

The parish church of Saint Ilan was built on the ridge between the Taff Valley and Aber Valley, on what was thought to have been the site of an earlier chapel or monastic cell.The parish website speculates that it may originally have been the home of a 6th Century monk. The site lies on the ancient pilgrimage route from Llantarnam to Penrhys.

Originally Roman Catholic, the church became Anglican following the Reformation caused by Henry VIII. In due course, eleven Anglican parishes were founded from it, causing a reduction in the territory remaining with the mother church.

In 1801, the parish had dependent chapels at Llanfabon and St Martin. The resident population was reckoned to number 1885 people, 'residing in the hamlets of Eglwys Ilan, Ener Glynn, Glynn Tâff, Hendredenny, Parc, Rhyd y Byddin, and The Town of Caerphilly'. In 2012, the parish website stated the parish contained 8,000 people 'serving all of the Aber Valley and including the villages of Abertridwr and Senghenydd together with the hamlets of Eglwysilan and Groeswen'.

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Wikipedia