(Fig. 44, plates 14, 16, 17, 19, 22, 33, 34, 36) stands in the village of Aber-erch. It consists of chancel and nave, undivided in
structure, and a shorter and slightly narrower N. aisle separated
by an arcade of four bays. The walls are of local rubble, with
larger quoin-stones. The dressings are of gritstone. The roofs
are covered with modern slates.

Little remains of the earliest structure. A short length of
walling which remains on the N. side of the nave at the W.
end is thicker than the rest, and contains traces of a blocked
doorway. This doorway and part of the adjacent walling, and
footings of similar width which are visible under the W. and
S. walls of the nave are probably part of the church known
from the 13th century;¹ on plan these are shown by black
with white hatching, to denote that earlier remains survive
beneath those of the 14th or 15th century. The walls themselves
as far E. as the sixth bay of the roof, and the remains of
a quoin beneath the middle window, can be ascribed to the
14th or 15th century on the evidence of the roof as the trusses
are all uniform; the sixth bay was formerly ceiled as a canopy
of honour above an altar. The church was extended to the E.
end of this aisle late in the 15th century to judge from the S.
window of the chancel. It was next enlarged on the N. of the
chancel by building in the adjacent E. part of the N. aisle
and by opening the two intervening bays of the arcade,
which in style resembles the nave arcade of Bangor Cathedral
(Vol. Il, No. 681), or more closely the S. arcade of Llangwnnadl
church (No. 1638; added a little after the N. arcade
which is dated 1520²). It is probable that the E. and N. windows of this addition, both of which seem rather earlier in style,
were transferred from the chancel, the former being replaced
by the present E. window there which seems contemporary
with the arcade. Finally the N. aisle was extended westwards

together with the arcade, probably a little later in the 16thcentury to judge from the N.W. window. It was completeda bay short of the other aisle, apparently in order to leave cleara doorwav at the N.W. of that aisle which was still in usebesides the present W. door.The 14th-15th-century part of the roof and the early 16th centurystalls are noteworthy.

Architectural Description.-The S. Aisle (78 ft. by 19 ft.
3 ins. at E. to 18 ft. 3 ins. at W.), containing the present chancel
and nave, has an inserted E. window, probably of the early
16th century; it is of five lights under a four-centred head and
hood-mould, and is casement-moulded at the head and jambs
both externally and internally; its cusped tracery has been
renewed. The S. window of the chancel (Plate 17) is of two
trefoiled lights, also renewed, in a hollow-chamfered frame
under a moulded label and is probably of the late 15th century.
The other windows of the S. wall are modern enlargements.
Below the middle window a short straight joint  remains, the
masonry to the W. of it representing a former quoin at 4 ft.
to the E. of the seventh truss of the roof.  To the W. both faces
of this wall rest on a rough base of  boulders some of which
project inwards. The W . doorway has  rebated jambs of the
same build as the wall, but the arched  head, roughly pointed
and poorly built, and the rear-arch  are  possibly due to later
heightening. The bell-cote is modern.  The  N. wall in its
thicker part contains the lower  jambs of a blocked doorway
the rear opening of which remains as  a cupboard. ³ This is so
close to the existing doorway  that it would have had no
function as part of the 14th-15th-century building, and the
adjacent walling is thicker  than that elsewhere. The doorway
can therefore be regarded as a  surviving part of the earlier
building.

The N. Aisle (65 ft. by 17 ft. 9 ins. average) is later than the
S. aisle, but their junction in the E. wall is concealed by the
later buttress. The E. window, of three lights under a four-centred
head, more pointed than that of the S. aisle, is simply
chamfered and of the late 15th rather than the 16th century;
its tracery has been renewed. It seems likely that it belonged
at first to the S. aisle and was re-used when the larger window
was inserted there. The N .E. window matches the S.E.
window of the chancel and may have been transferred from the
N . wall of the chancel when the arcade was opened; it has
been partly restored. The N. doorway (Plate 19) has a fourcentred
arch of four chamfered pieces, and is an insertion
probably contemporary with the W.  portion of this aisle
added later in the 16th century. The N.W. quoin of the E.
and earlier portion is marked by a straight joint, formed by
alternate stones only, a little over 3 ft. to w. of that door.
The N.W. window, in the later portion, is of three trefoiled
lights in an ogee-moulded frame under a moulded label; it
is of the 16th century but much restored. The W. window is
modern. The W. wall abuts on the S. aisle near the blocked N.
door of that aisle.

The arcade between the aisles (Plates 14, 16) has in all four
bays four-centred arches of two hollow-chamfered orders on
octagonal piers, or semi-octagonal responds, which all have
double V-shaped grooves vertically on each diagonal face,
the outer planes of these cuts being at right angles to the face
(as at Llangwnnadl church, No. 1638); the abacus has a quarter-round
mould below; the base is hollow-chamfered and the
vertical grooves are stopped diagonally, in the two eastern
bays at least (the bases in the western are nearly covered by
the modern wooden floor of the pews). In all spandrels except
those above the easternmost of the three piers, and at two  common levels, the ends of rough stones project a few inches
to N. and S. (Plate 14). Those above the central pier, where
there is also a square slot, may be connected with the rood-loft
and screen, traces of which remained on the N. side in
1856. ⁴  Above the E. pier, level with the upper set of rough stones, quarter-round corbels project to N. and S. Both are
carved in relief, the former with R, the latter with 1615.
Although this is noted as ‘one of the corbels of the roof’ in
1856 neither the corbels nor the rough stones seem to be related
to the existing roof, which is mainly ancient and undisturbed.
The E. pier also has a short vertical slot on its N. side, 5 ft.
from the floor and 8 ins. high, but there is no record ofa screen
there.

The roof has twenty arch-braced trusses, mostly with
diagonal struts which are either plain or cusped to a pattern
of a quatrefoil flanked by trefoils. Of the latter form are the
first six from the W. in the S. aisle (Plate 22) and the fourth
in the N. aisle. The six in the S. aisle have twice as many
cusps to the struts, and cuts in the principals for large windbraces.⁵ The sixth and seventh trusses, both chamfered on the soffit, have slots for a boarded ceiling, which would have
concealed the plain struts of the seventh. These seven trusses
thus form a set which terminated in a canopy of honour, no
doubt for the shorter one-aisled church and probably of the
15th or even the 14th century. The remainder in this aisle
and in the N. aisle, usually without cusping, must belong to the
extensions of the late 15th century and the 16th century. The
first three from the E. end of the S. aisle retain on their soffits
the nails of a simple boarded ceiling which formed a canopy
of honour for the present chancel. Above the arcade between
the aisles the shortened feet of all trusses rest on rough stone
corbels.
Fittings.–Books: for registers see p. cxxxi. Chest and
Collecting Box: both by W. door: dug-out chest (Plate 34)
bound with iron at corners, flat lid of one piece on a pair of
iron strap hinges, modern lock plate. Length 4 ft. 4 ins., height
2 ft., width 1 ft. 8 ins. at top, 1 ft. 7 ins. at bottom; collecting
box attached to end of chest, octagonal in form of pillar with
moulded capital for the box, all in one piece, flat lid on a pair
of iron strap hinges of trapezoidal shape, with hasp and later
lock; height of pillar I ft. 3 ins., width 5 ins., height of capital
8 ins., width 7 ins.; probably medieval. Collecting shovels:
two, wooden, each with saucer-shaped bowl4t ins. in diameter
and short rounded handle; probably 18th-century. Crossslab
(Plate 36): in chancel floor, mostly in low relief but in
parts incised only, cross with expanded arms and stepped base,
with a smaller cross formee contained in its first quarter,
upon stem a sword and shield, the sword lying obliquely
with circular pommel and straight quillons showing; along
left edge of slab a lance with head next smaller cross;
on each side of base above steps a spur rowel like a six-petalled
flower pierced at centre, in rest of field slender floriate scrolls;
length 6 ft. 6 ins., width 27 ins.; probably late 13th- or early
14th-century.⁶ Font: bowl of gritstone, octagonal; diameter
1 ft. 11.5 ins., height 12.5 ins.; medieval, on modern base.
Glass: stained glass noted in the E. windows by Fenton and
others has gone. ⁷ Inscriptions: on quarter-round corbel above arcade at S. side, in relief the date 1615; on similar corbel at
N. side, in relief the letter R. Memorials: in chancel floor,
gritstone slabs to (i) Maurice Williams, 1692, and lane Lloyd,
1692, wife of Griffith Williams, both of Bringole (No. 1494),
also Margaret, 1764, wife of William Owen; arms of Collwyn
ap Tangno; (ii) Griffith Jones of Tanralld, 1695; also John
Jones, 1773, his wife Katherine, 1777, and their daughter
Catherine, 1814, widow of John Roberts, late archdeacon of
Merioneth. In churchyard against S. wall of church, (iii)
decaying slate slab, to a child of William and Ellen Glynne,
of Rhosfawr, possibly Griffith (1686), in Latin, late 17th
century; also to William Jones, of Rhosfawr, 17(36).⁸ See also
Cross-slab.
Plate: (i) Silver cup, beaker-shaped, engraved with double
bend of strap-work filled with hyphens, containing inscription
in Roman capitals: SANCTAE COVORDA DE ABERERTHE;
on a new stem, foot formed from the old paten-cover
with date 1611; no marks; probably ca. 1611; height 5.5 ins.
(ii) Pewter flagon with globular body, short spout and domed
cover with scrolled thumb-piece, inscribed: Abererch/
O.H. vr, W.jR.W* I. H.j1728 (for Owen Humphreys,
Vicar, and Wardens Richard Williams and John Hughes);⁹ height 9.25 ins. Screen : formerly in E. part of N. aisle, fragments re-used in stalls, q.v. Stalls (Plate 33): to N. of chancel, a group of five with desk, composed of(i) seats taken from two former
sets of three each with semi-circular and moulded capping,
curved and moulded elbow-rests carved with demi-angels
arising out of formalised clouds, misericords carved alternately
with double water-leaf between two roses each of six
petals or a rose between two water-leaves (Plate 33); (ii) half a
former desk front comprising central muntin moulded on the
left, to left a panel carved in the solid with tracery of eight
transomed lights with single foliation at head of each continued
as supermullion with simple tracery, moulded desk top
above, and at left end the stall-end which has ogee-moulded
edges and ogee-curved top carrying two figures modelled back
to back, dressed in cassocks and holding blank shields; (iii) in
re-made stall-end at right, fragment of middle rail of former
screen, moulded and embattled; (iv) re-used as corner post
at left end of the five stalls, a similar rail fragment from the
screen, slightly different in setting-out. Stalls each 25.5 ins.
wide, 3 ft. 6 ins. high. Left stall-end 15.5 ins. wide, 4 ft. high
including poupee. Desk front 28 ins. high, 3 ft. 8.5 ins. long
from face of stall-end to centre line of muntin, hence formerly
7 ft. 5 ins. in full. Fragments of screen rail 23 ins. and 41 ins.
long, both 5 ins. wide with battlement of 2.25 ins. Formerly in
N. aisle, between E. jamb of N. door and central pier of arcade,
but possibly against first pier from E. originally. Probably
early r6th-century.¹⁰

Condition: good, restored.

SH 39653657                     21   iv  61                   41 N.W.