15th Century

Defynnog has a village church St. Cynog, which dates from the late 15th century. It was built on the site of an earlier Celtic church of which part of the north wall, a window and the font survive. It contains a 5th century Roman tombstone, in the shape of a pillar with Latin & worn Ogham inscriptions. The medieval font also has an Ogham inscription around the top. This was probably added in the 19th C. during extensive renovations. It is the central Church for a large parish.

The churchyard contains what has been called "one of the oldest yew trees in the United Kingdom, or even the oldest tree in Europe". Four were surveyed in 1998 and reported by the 'Ancient Yew Group' to be over 3,000 years old. This dating is disputed. Many respected dendrochronologists believe that no living tree in the UK is more than 1,000 years old.

Updated 17/12/2018