The parish is the burial place of the poet Henry Vaughan (1621–1695), who was born in the hamlet of Scethrog within the parish. Vaughan's grave in the churchyard, on the slopes of a hill known as Allt yr Esgair or simply The Allt,[6] overlooks the River Usk. The poets Siegfried Sassoon, Roland Mathias, Brian Morris and Anne Cluysenaar were all inspired to write poems by their visits to the grave. Sassoon's "At the Grave of Henry Vaughan" is the best-known of these and is read every year at the graveside following the Vaughan memorial service.[7]
Vaughan's twin brother, Thomas Vaughan, became rector of Llansantffraed in about 1644.[10] He was forced to vacate the position in 1650, on grounds that included his having been on the Royalist side during the English Civil War.[11]
Other buildings
The Old Rectory, which stands close by the church to the northwest, is a Grade II listed building, with an estimated date of late 18th century. It is thought to have been built as a hunting lodge for the Buckland estate and converted into a rectory in the 19th century, but was released by the church during the 1950s. It later became a guest house.[12]
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