The majority of what we have come to know about Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan in which it is to be found, has been gathered from the observation of old properties in the area. However, many of these are in a very bad state and have been for a very long time. There are also legendary tales like the one about Joseph of Arimathea, who traded tin across the channel in Glastonbury and was one of the first missionaries to the country.

It is a widely-held traditional belief that the father of Caractacus took him to Rome where they both converted to Christianity. They later returned to the Vale of Glamorgan with the missionary Bran The Blessed. It is also well-known that Christianity had gained much popular belief in the Vale by the early fourth century and that several bishops on the Council of Rome were from the area.

Saint Baruch’s Church on Barry Island is one of the oldest places of historic religious interest in the region, but unfortunately, it too has been allowed to become dilapidated. Barry Island was one of the most important places of monastic interest in south Wales and around. The ancient Viking strongholds of Steep and Flat Holms also housed monks and Saint Illtyd’s Seminary in nearby Llantwit Major, which taught 2,200 disciples, was closely linked to it too.

There was an ancient Roman fort and accompanying naval dockyard on Porthkerry Point, which had obviously jutted out further into the sea than it does now and later a castle was built on their ruins. There have been found many wolf and deer bones between Sully and Barry – enough to show that they had existed there in great numbers. There have also been a large number of findings of arrowheads, flints, needles and coins, proving that people were there to prey on them too.

Barry Island was first known as Baruchs Island after St. Baruch, who was found drowned, washed up on the beach in 700 AD. He had drowned on his return from Flat Holm, where it was customary for Saints and religious students of the seminaries to spend Lent.

He and Gwelches were both students of St. Cadoc and when they had got back from Flat Holm, they realized that they had left their enchiridion (religious manual) behind. St. Cadoc made them go back for it. Neither monk returned from the trip alive.St. Illtyd, St. Baruch’s most famous disciple was educated there too.

Barry Island has had its name changed several times over the centuries. It was once called ‘Island of the Saints’ and ‘Insular of Peiros’, after St. Peiro, who was St. Illtyd’s successor at the seminary at Llantwit Major. He was also St. Samson’s luminary. There was also a St. Doeninas, who was abbot of a nearby abbey on Friars’ Point.