History and Heritage

The life of our churches and the wider communities have a rich history and heritage. We are part of this ongoing story. We are grateful for the past, we live in the present and hope to play our part to shape the future.

To reflect that beautiful Greek proverb, we are planting those trees under whose shade we will never sit. And likewise we are sitting in the shade created by those who have gone before us.

Here is the place to discover more about the heritage of each of our four churches where we will celebrate the faithfulness of past generations.

It’s a work in progress and we’ll continue to develop this page, as we gather them into this website, so please do return soon to discover more.

1. St Mary’s Church
2. St Saviour’s Church
3. SS Dyfrig and Samson Church
4. St Paul’s Church
5. Genealogy
   1. Burials
   2. Baptisms and Weddings
6. Search Request Form

St Mary’s Church

Whilst we gather the past, you can check out something of the history of St Mary’s here

There’s also loads to learn from our Articles of Faith where every item tells a tale and reveals something of our rich heritage of faith.

Our Faithful Cardiff self guided tours also take you on a journey through the faithful history and heritage of Butetown and the ancient Parish of St Mary’s. We also have a special tour exploring the life and times of Fr Griffith Arthur Jones a pioneer priest of St Mary’s of the late 19th century. Follow the link below.

St Saviour’s Church

There’s a little of St Saviour’s history here. You can also take a peek at ‘Discover St Saviour’s’ our QR Code trail around the church which opens up the treasures of St Saviour’s.

SS Dyfrig and Samson Church

We’re bringing you some history soon!

St Paul’s Church

Watch this space as we delve deep into the past of St Paul’s.

Genealogy

With the increase in interest in genealogy, we often get requests to search our archives for details of baptisms, funerals and weddings, sometimes in person or from a distance.

We are currently reviewing how we administer any request made to us for searches of our Archives to ensure that we have the capacity to respond efficiently. However, please note that there is a charge of £26 per hour (or part thereof). Please complete the form at the bottom of this page. In the meantime, we hope the following is helpful in your search.

Burials

When making your historical research you may find references to burials at ‘St Mary’s Church’ – however, this usually refers to burial ‘within’ the ancient Parish of St Mary the Virgin, and the burial ground referred to is often (although not always) Cathays Cemetery. There are no burial grounds associated with any of our churches, and we don’t hold any records of burials but Cardiff Bereavement Services have their own process for burial enquiries, and their Genealogy web page also has links to Glamorgan Archives which hold an vast array of items.

Baptisms and Weddings

We hold facsimile copies of the registers for Baptisms and Weddings for each of the four churhes, as well as the former churches of St Stephen’s Church (Mount Stuart Square)and St Dyfrig’s Church (Wood Street). The original copies are stored and kept by Glamorgan Archives. We are no longer able to issue certificates of marriage – for this, you will need to contact the Cardiff Register Office (link below).

We are currently reviewing how we administer any request made to us for searches of our Archives to ensure that we have the capacity to respond efficiently. However, please note that there is a fee (2024) of £26 per hour (or part thereof). Please complete the form below.

Search Request Form