Llanvihangel torymynydd (Llanfihangel tor-y-mynydd)
a parish in Monmouthshire, Wales.
Llanvihangel torymynydd parish is bounded by the parishes of Llanishen to the North and Wolvesnewton to the South.

parishes"LLANVIHANGEL-TOR-Y-MYNYDD, a parish in the upper division of the hundred of Ragland, county Monmouth, 7 miles N.W. of Chepstow, its post town. There is no village, only a few farmhouses. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Llandaff, value £89, in the patronage of the archdeacon."

"LLANVIHANGEL-TOR-Y-MYNYDD (the Church of St. Michael under the Hill), on the main road from Chepstow to Raglan is a parish 6½ miles east-by-north from Usk station on the Monmouth and Pontypool section of the Great Western railway, and 8 north-west from Chepstow."

Llanvihangel torymynydd is partly up a hill (hence the "tor", with the parish church near the bottom, and the Star Inn a way up.

The precise border between Llanvihangel torymynydd & Llanishen is not clear to me, with THOMAS residents on both sides.

st michael on the hillThe Star Inn


The first THOMAS event at Llanvihangel torymynydd was the marriage of James THOMAS to Elizabeth MICHAEL (my 3XG grandparents) on 31 December 1794.

Elizabeth MICHAEL had been baptised at Llanvihangel torymynydd 22 years earlier, the eldest daughter of Philip (a blacksmith) & Tassy nee JONES.

James THOMAS had been baptised on 24 April 1774 the son of John & Mary at Newchurch, just a few miles down the road.

James & Elizabeth raised 5 children to adulthood (John, Philip, Thomas, James, Mary) at Llanvihangel torymynydd, though 2 pairs of twins never survived infancy.

From 1800 on James & Elizabeth baptised their children at St. Dennis in Llanishen, but their eldest sons John, Philip, & Thomas patronised St. Michael's at Llanvihangel torymynydd.
By 1813 the family were living at "Pool House" just on the Llanishen side of the boundary, though four infants were buried at St.Michael.
James & Elizabeth's oldest son John (1795-1868 my GG grandfather) baptised at St. Michael in 1795, and married Martha WALKER there in 1818, but is buried at Llanishen in 1868.       John's youngest son John 1838-1919 (my grandfather) emigrated to New Zealand in 1875.
Philip 1797-1878 lived, married Sarah Morgan (7 children), and died at Llanvihangel torymynydd.
Thomas 1797-1883 lived, married EliZabeth Davis (8 children), and died at Llanvihangel torymynydd.
James died age 22; Mary 1806-1849 married Philip HIGHLEY and they lived at Tintern Parva.

The 1911 census shows Isaac and sister Merella living in Llanvihangel torymynydd.
The last THOMAS relative to live in Llanvihangel torymynydd (that I know of) was cousin 3x removed  Isaac 1830-1916,
He had married local girl Elizabeth BRISLAND in 1872, had been the Innkeeper at the Carpenters Arms in Llanishen, but from 1891 until his death in 1916, lived at Ty Bach (photo available) and is buried in the St. Michael churchyard (photo above).

So what happened to the others born in Llanvihangel?  
    Several are reported as in adjacent Llanishen.
    James 1822-1907 married & moved down the road to St. Arvans. Two sons migrated to Hawkes Bay New Zealand in 1875, 1876.
    John 1838-1919 married & migrated to New Zealand in 1875
    Some girls married and drifted away to Risca & Newport

compiled by descendant  email updated August 2009