Our Future
Heritage Developments
The joining of the threads, Welsh makers of nations
St Nicholas Church stands at the heart of a remarkable story connecting Wales to the founding of nations. The families who worshipped and are buried here shaped history on both sides of the Atlantic.
Admiral Sir Thomas Button
Admiral Sir Thomas Button was the first European to reach Canadian soil, landing in 1612 and establishing "New Wales" for King James I. His family rests in the Lady Chapel of St Nicholas Church, making this small Welsh village part of the story of the founding of Canada.
Button Gwinnett
Button Gwinnett was a relative of the Button family by marriage. He arrived in Georgia 153 years after Thomas Button and became the second signer of the American Declaration of Independence in 1776, following John Hancock. Both the Button and Gwinnett families rest side by side in the Lady Chapel of St Nicholas Church.
John Cory, Bunkerman to the World
John Cory, another maker of nations and "bunkerman to the world," is buried in the church graveyard with his family. His story is featured in an exhibition at National Trust Dyffryn Gardens, just one mile from the church.
Planned Exhibition
"The joining of the threads, Welsh makers of nations" will be a permanent display at St Nicholas Church, subject to Lottery Heritage funding, developed over the next two years. It will bring together the stories of Button, Gwinnett, and Cory, and their remarkable connections to Wales and the wider world.
Watch this space for updates.