The Grave

Earlier this year, Iread an email on the Message Board of Caernarfon Online, by one who had visited Llanfaglan Church Cemetery. He was obviously elated by the thought that he had come across a pirate’s grave and was of the opinion that it was the grave of Captain Henry Morgan. He was concerned about the condition of the headstone as he believed it to be of historical importance and requested more information about the grave.

When I was a boy, I remember how my friends and I used to spend hours over on the Aber foreshore and we used to visit this grave often. Our opinion at the time was similar to that of the writer of the email, that it was indeed a pirate’s grave. This was understandable as the image we saw was of a skull and cross bones, but years later I learned that nothing could be further from the truth.

The Grave

I, therefore, answered the questioner, having first contacted Mr. F. Humphreys Jones, a local historian, and regarded as an authority on Llanfaglan Church and the cemetery. I quoted him as having said “The skull and cross bones are a sign of death and on the grave is also a Latin inscription which, when translated, reminds the reader “You too will have to die”.  I further added there were similar images in graves all over Wales.

As a result of the correspondence on the message board, I received an email from Mrs. Sylvia James of Caernarfon, attaching two photos of gravestones in Llanbeblig’s Old Cemetery and, as can be seen, the image in question is on both gravestones, but they are not exactly the same. The cross bones are immediately above the skull in one and below it in the other. The first is the grave of Richard Foxwist, who was buried in December 1615, and the second grave is that of Mrs. Mary Jones, the wife of a mariner named, John Jones, who died aged 31 years in 1696.

No more is known about this Mary Jones, but the Foxwist family was well known in Caernarfon and district for centuries up to the end of the 18^th and W.H. Jones in his book “Old Karnarvon, (Publ. by H. Humphreys, 1882) has several references to members of this family. Many of them held important posts and, near the alter at Llanbeblig Church, there are memorials to four of them, which is sufficient proof of the respect in which the Foxwists were held in the parish.

The town house of the family was situated in Castle Street and their coat of arms can still be seen today above the door of the office of Emyr Thomas & Co., Solicitors, and the date 1628 can be clearly seen. It is also known that one member of the family was the Chancellor of the Exchequer for North Wales with its Headquarters at Y Porth Mawr and another, William Foxwist, a judge and Parliamentarian of repute, having been an M.P. for many years.

However, to return to the grave of Richard Foxwist, referred to previously, these are the words that are engraved on it in Old English:

"Heare lieth the Bodie of Richard Foxwist, Gentleman, whoe married Elen Dawghter to William Thomas of Caernarvon, Esqvier, and by her had Three sonnes and foure davghters; whoe deseased the 27 daie of December 1615.”

Totally unexpected, however, another reference was come across in the book ‘Old Karnarvon’. It was that of a member of the family who was Vicar of Llanfaglan and his name was Llwyd or Lloyd Foxwist and it is believed that he was the last of the Foxwists to be owner of the house in Castle Street. It also states that he was the son of William Foxwist, Rhythallt, Caernarfonshire, who died in 1791, as is recorded o his gravestone in the Old Cemetery at Llanbeblig. The son’s name appears on a book chest in the Church as follows:

“LLANFAGLAN Llwyd Foxwist A.B.M.H.) W.I. )  Wardens Octr.8 1772”

Commemorative Plaque

It is believed that the above testimony is sufficient proof that there is no connection between the image showing the skull and cross bones on the grave in Llanfaglan and pirates of days gone by. And, finally, I would refer to an article by another Llanfaglan historian, Mr. Ifor Williams, which can be seen on the Welsh language website www.Cofis.co.uk under the title ‘Storïau’ – ‘Dros Raber’. He suggests that there is another meaning to the skull and cross bones image, but once again, it refers to death. He puts forward the theory that it either denotes that an unknown body has been retrieved from the sea or that the person buried in the grave died of some plague or other.

The Foxwist Home

Let us hope, therefore, that those of you who are interested will carry out research to try and fathom out the true meaning of the skull and cross bones image that appears on some very old gravestones.

T.Meirion Hughes

MORE ABOUT LLANFAGLAN CHURCH AND THE ALLEGED PIRATE’S GRAVE

We on Caernarfon Online are so pleased to have received a video of a short history of Llanfaglan Church and of the grave with the image showing a skull and cross bones carved on it.

This was sent to us by Mr. Owain Llyr, of the Radio Station Champion 103 FM to whom we are indebted and welcome his valuable contribution to the “Did you Know?” website. Having seen this video we feel sure that many more people will wish to visit the church, which dates back to the 13^th century and to view the gravestone that has been dubbed by many over the years as a
“Pirate’s grave”.

Diolch yn fawr ichi Owain a chroeso i’r wefan.    T Meirion Hughes