Coychurch
Coychurch
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 St.Crallo's Church, Coychurch |
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 Coychurch
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| Coychurch shown within Bridgend | |
| OS grid reference | SS939788 |
| Community | |
| Principal area | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BRIDGEND |
| Postcode district | CF31 |
| Dialling code | 01656 |
| Police | South Wales |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| EU Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | |
| Welsh Assembly | |
Coychurch (Welsh: Llangrallo) is a small village that sits between Pencoed and Bridgend in Wales, bordering with Bridgend Industrial Estate, where many residents are employed. It is part of the community of Coychurch Lower.
The village has a long-standing religious association, with an early Christian church having been built there possibly as long ago as the 8th century CE. The current church of St Crallo was built in the 13th century, and is a Grade I listed building, very large in size for the village it serves. A medieval cross in the churchyard, close to the church's south door, is Grade II* listed.John Wesley is said to have included the church in his preaching tour of 1771, and the churchyard also contains the grave of the lexicographer Thomas Richards (1710-1790), perpetual curate of Llangrallo, who published the first full-length English-Welsh dictionary in 1753 and dedicated it to the Prince of Wales.
Near the church are two public houses, the White Horse and the Prince of Wales. The only other businesses in the village are a hairdressing salon and a general store. Coychurch (Llangrallo) Primary School is located in Main Road and is an English-medium school and had 106 pupils as at 2014.
In 2013, extensive improvements were made to road safety within the village. A crossing was placed outside the school and pavements were improved; this resulted in fewer pupils being brought to school by car, with a consequent reduction in traffic through the village.
A local Arthurian legend has grown up, fostered by amateur historian Alan Wilson, who claims, in his 1986 book Artorius Rex Discovered, to have discovered a cave in Coed-y-Mwstwr Forest, just behind the village of Coychurch, where King Arthur was buried secretly, for fear that the news of his death might split his kingdom. Some believe that the Holy Grail was brought to the area by Joseph of Arimathea. A manuscript owned by "Thomas Hopkin of Coychurch" was used by the antiquary Iolo Morganwg to provide "genealogies" of the British saints and a pedigree of Taliesin.
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Wikipedia