St. Mary's Church, Chepstow
Encyclopedia
The Priory and Parish Church of St. Mary is located in Chepstow
, Monmouthshire
, south east Wales
. Parts of the building, including its ornate west doorway, date from the late 11th century and are contemporary with the nearby Norman
castle
.
priory
by William fitzOsbern and his son Roger de Breteuil, 2nd Earl of Hereford
. FitzOsbern had been granted the Lordship of Striguil
by his second cousin King William
in gratitude for his support in the Norman conquest of England, and was responsible for starting the building of a new castle overlooking the River Wye
on the border with the kingdoms of Wales
. At the same time he established a nearby monastic cell, so as to collect rent from the lands within Gwent which he had granted to his home Priory of Cormeilles
in Normandy
. Before long, the monastic establishment, on a ridge overlooking the river about 300 metres from the castle, had the status of an alien
priory in its own right, though it probably never held more than about 12 monks. It superseded an earlier Augustinian priory located about 2 km away, which was dedicated to the Welsh saint Cynfarch (or St. Kingsmark), a disciple of St. Dyfrig
.
As Chepstow developed as a market town and port around the castle and priory during the mediaeval period, the nave
became used as the parish church. The first vicar
appointed by authority of the king, John de Hemmyngburg, is recorded in 1348. The priory had extensive grounds, probably including most of the land south of the church enclosed by Chepstow's 13th century town wall or Port Wall. During the Hundred Years' War
between England and France in the 14th century, the priory became detached from its association with Cormeilles, and instead became attached at different times both to Llantarnam Abbey
near Caerleon
and to Bermondsey Abbey
in Southwark
. The priory was eventually suppressed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries
in 1536, at which time there were still three monks in residence. Most of the priory buildings, including the choir part of the church, the cloister
, chapter house
, lodgings and kitchens, were demolished at that time, and the foundations are buried beneath a car park beside the current church. Remains of a large barn and well were also found during excavations in the 1970s.
Part of the Norman
church remains, but it has been greatly modified over later centuries. The original Priory Church was built in local yellow Triassic
sandstone
, with a long vaulted nave
, massive piers, and a notably ornamented west entrance doorway with zig zag and lozenge patterns. These parts remain. However, later extensions and modifications have used other varieties of stone in other architectural styles, with the result that the whole church has been described as "an extraordinarily disjointed building."
The main central tower of the original church fell down through disrepair in 1701, destroying the transepts. A new wall was then built at the eastern end of the nave, and its western end built up to form a new tower. This was completed in 1706 under the ministry of Thomas Chest, who was vicar from 1701 to 1740. The Norman doorway of five concentric arches was moved from a demolished north porch to provide the main west entrance, with windows from the fallen central tower placed above it. In 1841, through the influence of Edward Copleston
, Bishop of Llandaff
, who lived locally, the aisles were removed, and the eastern end, crossing and transepts were rebuilt. Further work partly to restore the Norman character of the nave was begun in 1890, but was abandoned unfinished in 1913.
The church contains two fonts, one of Norman origin and the other from the 15th century. There are several notable tombs and memorials, including that of Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester
, and the Jacobean
tomb of local benefactor Margaret Cleyton with her two husbands and 12 children. It also contains the tomb of Henry Marten
, signatory to King Charles I
's death warrant, who was imprisoned in Chepstow Castle until his death in 1680. His memorial includes an acrostic
epitaph
.
The organ, one of the few in the country with pipework dating from the early 17th century, was originally made for Gloucester Cathedral
before being moved to Bristol Cathedral
in 1663 and then to Chepstow possibly as early as 1685, and certainly by the 18th century. It was rebuilt and expanded in 1906, and has undergone a variety of maintenance and repair work since. Eight of the ten bells in the tower date from 1735 and were made in Chepstow by William Evans; the two lightest bells were added in 1959 and were cast by John Taylor & Co.. The original clock mechanism was also made locally in the 18th century, and kept time until replaced by an electric clock in 1965.
Chepstow
Chepstow is a town in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the River Wye, close to its confluence with the River Severn, and close to the western end of the Severn Bridge on the M48 motorway...
, Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
, south east Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Parts of the building, including its ornate west doorway, date from the late 11th century and are contemporary with the nearby Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
castle
Chepstow Castle
Chepstow Castle , located in Chepstow, Monmouthshire in Wales, on top of cliffs overlooking the River Wye, is the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain...
.
Foundation and history of the priory
It was founded around 1072 as a BenedictineBenedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...
by William fitzOsbern and his son Roger de Breteuil, 2nd Earl of Hereford
Roger de Breteuil, 2nd Earl of Hereford
Roger de Breteuil, 2nd Earl of Hereford , succeeded to the earldom of Hereford and the English estate of William Fitz-Osbern in 1071.- Disobeying King William :...
. FitzOsbern had been granted the Lordship of Striguil
Striguil
Striguil or Strigoil is the name which was used from the 11th century until the late 14th century, for the port and Norman castle of Chepstow, on the Welsh side of the River Wye which forms the boundary with England...
by his second cousin King William
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
in gratitude for his support in the Norman conquest of England, and was responsible for starting the building of a new castle overlooking the River Wye
River Wye
The River Wye is the fifth-longest river in the UK and for parts of its length forms part of the border between England and Wales. It is important for nature conservation and recreation.-Description:...
on the border with the kingdoms of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. At the same time he established a nearby monastic cell, so as to collect rent from the lands within Gwent which he had granted to his home Priory of Cormeilles
Cormeilles, Eure
Cormeilles is a commune in the Eure department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Population:The inhabitants are called Cormeillais.-Geography:...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. Before long, the monastic establishment, on a ridge overlooking the river about 300 metres from the castle, had the status of an alien
Alien (law)
In law, an alien is a person in a country who is not a citizen of that country.-Categorization:Types of "alien" persons are:*An alien who is legally permitted to remain in a country which is foreign to him or her. On specified terms, this kind of alien may be called a legal alien of that country...
priory in its own right, though it probably never held more than about 12 monks. It superseded an earlier Augustinian priory located about 2 km away, which was dedicated to the Welsh saint Cynfarch (or St. Kingsmark), a disciple of St. Dyfrig
Dubricius
Saint Dubricius was a 6th century Briton ecclesiastic venerated as a saint. He was the evangelist of Ergyng and much of South-East Wales.-Biography:Dubricius was the illegitimate son of Efrddyl, the daughter of King Peibio Clafrog of Ergyng...
.
As Chepstow developed as a market town and port around the castle and priory during the mediaeval period, the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
became used as the parish church. The first vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
appointed by authority of the king, John de Hemmyngburg, is recorded in 1348. The priory had extensive grounds, probably including most of the land south of the church enclosed by Chepstow's 13th century town wall or Port Wall. During the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
between England and France in the 14th century, the priory became detached from its association with Cormeilles, and instead became attached at different times both to Llantarnam Abbey
Llantarnam Abbey
Llantarnam Abbey is an abbey of the Sisters of St Joseph of Annecy and a former Cistercian monastery located in Llantarnam, Cwmbran in the county borough of Torfaen in southeast Wales.- History :...
near Caerleon
Caerleon
Caerleon is a suburban village and community, situated on the River Usk in the northern outskirts of the city of Newport, South Wales. Caerleon is a site of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman legionary fortress, Isca Augusta, and an Iron Age hill fort...
and to Bermondsey Abbey
Bermondsey Abbey
Bermondsey Abbey was an English Benedictine monastery. Most widely known as an 11th-century foundation, it had a precursor mentioned in the early 8th century, and was centred on what is now Bermondsey Square, the site of Bermondsey Market, Bermondsey in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast...
in Southwark
Southwark
Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...
. The priory was eventually suppressed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1536, at which time there were still three monks in residence. Most of the priory buildings, including the choir part of the church, the cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
, chapter house
Chapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....
, lodgings and kitchens, were demolished at that time, and the foundations are buried beneath a car park beside the current church. Remains of a large barn and well were also found during excavations in the 1970s.
The present building
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
church remains, but it has been greatly modified over later centuries. The original Priory Church was built in local yellow Triassic
Triassic
The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 250 to 200 Mya . As the first period of the Mesozoic Era, the Triassic follows the Permian and is followed by the Jurassic. Both the start and end of the Triassic are marked by major extinction events...
sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, with a long vaulted nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, massive piers, and a notably ornamented west entrance doorway with zig zag and lozenge patterns. These parts remain. However, later extensions and modifications have used other varieties of stone in other architectural styles, with the result that the whole church has been described as "an extraordinarily disjointed building."
The main central tower of the original church fell down through disrepair in 1701, destroying the transepts. A new wall was then built at the eastern end of the nave, and its western end built up to form a new tower. This was completed in 1706 under the ministry of Thomas Chest, who was vicar from 1701 to 1740. The Norman doorway of five concentric arches was moved from a demolished north porch to provide the main west entrance, with windows from the fallen central tower placed above it. In 1841, through the influence of Edward Copleston
Edward Copleston
Edward Copleston was an English churchman and academic, Provost of Oriel College, Oxford from 1814 and bishop of Llandaff from 1827.-Life:He was born at Offwell in Devon, and educated at Oxford University....
, Bishop of Llandaff
Bishop of Llandaff
The Bishop of Llandaff is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff.-Area of authority:The diocese covers most of the County of Glamorgan. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul , in the village of Llandaff, just north-west of the City of...
, who lived locally, the aisles were removed, and the eastern end, crossing and transepts were rebuilt. Further work partly to restore the Norman character of the nave was begun in 1890, but was abandoned unfinished in 1913.
The church contains two fonts, one of Norman origin and the other from the 15th century. There are several notable tombs and memorials, including that of Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester
Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester
Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester was an English nobleman, son of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester and Elizabeth Herbert, 3rd Baroness Herbert. On his father's death on 15 April 1526, he succeeded as the second Earl of Worcester...
, and the Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
tomb of local benefactor Margaret Cleyton with her two husbands and 12 children. It also contains the tomb of Henry Marten
Henry Marten (regicide)
Sir Henry Marten was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1640 and 1653...
, signatory to King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
's death warrant, who was imprisoned in Chepstow Castle until his death in 1680. His memorial includes an acrostic
Acrostic
An acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message. As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous...
epitaph
Epitaph
An epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
.
The organ, one of the few in the country with pipework dating from the early 17th century, was originally made for Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral
Gloucester Cathedral, or the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the river. It originated in 678 or 679 with the foundation of an abbey dedicated to Saint Peter .-Foundations:The foundations of the present...
before being moved to Bristol Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England, and is commonly known as Bristol Cathedral...
in 1663 and then to Chepstow possibly as early as 1685, and certainly by the 18th century. It was rebuilt and expanded in 1906, and has undergone a variety of maintenance and repair work since. Eight of the ten bells in the tower date from 1735 and were made in Chepstow by William Evans; the two lightest bells were added in 1959 and were cast by John Taylor & Co.. The original clock mechanism was also made locally in the 18th century, and kept time until replaced by an electric clock in 1965.
External links
- Churches together in Chepstow, includes contact details for St Mary's
- Chepstow Town Council site - St. Mary's Church