Here is a link where you can read more about the legend. Also a description of it's location. Would you be willing to undertake a project of photographing the site (if there's anything to photograph)? It's certainly a unique bit of Welsh history. Diane http://www.reformedreader.org/history/ivey/ch05.htm ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Ball" <john@jlb2005.plus.com> To: <monmouthshire@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2007 4:33 PM Subject: Re: [MON] 'Welsh Churches and Chapels Collection' > Diane Zimmerman <wvhill@broadweave.net> wrote: > Hello John, > I really enjoy your website and commend you for your efforts. I was > wondering if you had taken pictures of the Olchon Valley Baptist church > site. I don't know if there are any remains or not. You've probably heard > the legend about that church having it's authority directly from Paul > through Claudia and Pudens. Thanks. > =================== > > Dear Diane, > > Although I've only uploaded just over half of them, *all* of the Welsh > churches and chapels that I've photographed are included in the on-line > index to the 'Welsh Churches and Chapel Collection'; the Olchon Valley > church site is not one of them. > > If I'm not mistaken, the Olchon Valley is actually in England, because the > ridge on the western side of the valley marks the border between > Herefordshire (England) and Monmouthshire (Wales). > > Until now, I was not familiar with the legend to which you refer. > > Kind regards, > > John > -------------------- > John Ball, Cwmgwili, Carmarthenshire, Wales, UK > E-mail: john@jlb2005.plus.com > John's Homepage: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/ > Images of Wales: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/walespic/ > Welsh Family History Archive: http://www.jlb2005.plus.com/wales/ > > GENUKI Breconshire Maintainer: http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/BRE/ > Joint Administrator - Powys (& BRE/MGY/RAD) RootsWeb mailing lists > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MONMOUTHSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

On 8/26/07 6:16 PM, "Diane Zimmerman" <wvhill@broadweave.net> wrote: > Here is a link where you can read more about the legend. Also a > description of it's location. Would you be willing to undertake a project of > photographing the site (if there's anything to photograph)? It's certainly a > unique bit of Welsh history. A fascinating story Diane, and the church is certainly involved in Welsh history in certain ways, though as John pointed out, from the description given in this article, it's technically in England, not in Wales. It has certainly been a Welsh church at times, and was well involved in the history of Christianity in Wales, and is not very far over the border, so it would still seem to be germane to Welsh Churches and Chapels. However, it was unable to find any mention of Claudia or Pudens or any legend in the article you linked to. Did I miss something? -- We will not forget! www.remember-9-11.com www.ciarancummings.com

Here is a link that will explain the whole thing and I've included an excerpt from this site. http://www.pb.org/pbdocs/chhist5.html#Succession_in_Wales Formal records of the origin of Christianity in Wales are lost in antiquity. However, a single legendary account is generally cited by Welsh Baptist historians. The following description of the ancient roots of the Welsh Baptists is taken from History of the Welch Baptists, by Jonathan Davis, written in 1835. "About fifty years before the birth of our Savior, the Romans invaded the British Isles, in the reign of the Welch king Cassebellun; but having failed, in consequence of other and more important wars made peace with them, and dwelt among them many years. During that period many of the Welsh soldiers joined the Roman army, and many families from Wales visited Rome; among them there was a certain woman named Claudia, who was married to a man named Pudence. At the time, Paul was sent a prisoner to Rome, and preached there in his own hired house, for the space of two years, about the year of our Lord 63. Pudence and Claudia his wife, who belonged to Caesar's household, under the blessing of God on Paul's preaching, were brought to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, and made a profession of their Christian religion. These together with other Welshmen, among the Roman soldiers, who had heard that the Lord was gracious, exerted themselves on behalf of their countrymen in Wales, who were at that time idolaters." Davis continues, "How rapidly did the mighty gospel of Christ fly abroad! The very year 63, when Paul, a prisoner, was preaching to a few individuals, in his own hired house in Rome, the seed sowed there is growing in the Isle of Britain." The Apostle Paul concludes his second epistle to Timothy with greetings from some of the saints gathered with him in Rome. Among those mentioned are Pudence and Claudia. Paul's mention of these Welsh Christians casts some doubt as to their being in Wales in 63 A. D. since it is believed Paul wrote II Timothy in 66 A.D.. However, the identities of Pudence and Claudia are well documented. Claudia was the daughter of Welsh King Caratacus. Pudence was Claudia's husband. Armitage believed he was a Roman Senator. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael P. Thompson" <thompson@ecentral.com> To: <monmouthshire@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, August 27, 2007 1:49 PM Subject: Re: [MON] 'Welsh Churches and Chapels Collection' > On 8/26/07 6:16 PM, "Diane Zimmerman" <wvhill@broadweave.net> wrote: > >> Here is a link where you can read more about the legend. Also a >> description of it's location. Would you be willing to undertake a project >> of >> photographing the site (if there's anything to photograph)? It's >> certainly a >> unique bit of Welsh history. > > A fascinating story Diane, and the church is certainly involved in Welsh > history in certain ways, though as John pointed out, from the description > given in this article, it's technically in England, not in Wales. It has > certainly been a Welsh church at times, and was well involved in the > history > of Christianity in Wales, and is not very far over the border, so it would > still seem to be germane to Welsh Churches and Chapels. > > However, it was unable to find any mention of Claudia or Pudens or any > legend in the article you linked to. Did I miss something? > > -- > We will not forget! > www.remember-9-11.com > www.ciarancummings.com > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MONMOUTHSHIRE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >