St Tysilio’s Church, Llandysilo

The Gothic St Tysilio’s in Llandysilo dates from 1867 but is built on the foundations of a much earlier church. Thought to be founded by St Tysilio early in the 7th century there are records of a chapel here dating back as early as 1254 and 1291. It was probably this earlier building that was reputedly haunted by a spirit which was according to folklore exorcised. In his ‘Welsh folk-lore ‘ (1887), Elias Owen, quoted the following from Bye-Gones, Vol. ii, p. 179 and a piece submitted by a writer using the pseudonym of Gypt.

“This church,” says Gypt, “was terribly troubled by a Spirit in times gone by, so I was informed by a person who took me over the church, and, being curious to hear the story, my guide related the following:—

“To such extremes had things come that it was resolved to send for a well known and expert person to lay the Spirit. But the Spirit nearly overcame the expert, and the fight continued hard and fast for a long time. The ghost layer came out often for fresh air and beer, and then was plainly seen, from his bared arms and the perspiration running down his face, that there was a terrible conflict going on within the church. At last success crowned the effort, and the Spirit, not unlike a large fly, was put into a bottle and thrown into a deep pool in the River Verniew, where it remains to this day, and the church was troubled no more.”

Gypt adds:—“As a proof of the truth of the story, my informant showed me the beams which were cracked at the time the Spirit troubled the church.”