Kemeys Commander
Encyclopedia
Kemeys Commander is a village in Monmouthshire
, in south east Wales
.
, comprises a few farms, cottages, and a church http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/280373 slightly off the main road leading to Abergavenny
within a graceful bend of the River Usk
.
lands in this parish
. There may have been a hermitage
here in early days. It is, however, doubtful whether the Kemeys family
ever held it and they probably took their name from another Kemeys, Kemeys Inferior, nine miles (14 km) further down the River Usk
. Both of these names are from the Welsh word cemais meaning 'bend in a river', and this is an apt description of the site of this village, which stands at the centre of a long bend of consistent radius.
Despite the fact that the family did not actually take their surname from here, it was "farmed" by Edward Kemeys, perhaps as chaplain
of the chantry
of St. Nicholas in the parish church of Usk
; in 1603 it belonged to an Edward Morgan. In 1801 Archdeacon William Coxe
came here during his Historical Tour in Monmouthshire and wrote "We here mounted our horses and rode through thickets across the fields to Kemeys Commander, a small village".
to Abergavenny
road http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/288982 over the River Usk
; a bridge has been here as far back as the 16th century but was washed away in winter floods in 1690, replaced eventually in 1730 in solid oak
and known locally as Pont Kemeys. This bridge in turn was replaced in 1829 by one built by Brown-Lennox of Pontypridd
- supported by sturdy chains, hence the name for all bridges on the site since. The next bridge, built by George Palmer of Neath
was an iron
arch with green painted girders, but still referred to as Chain Bridge http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/167776.
from the presbytery
, taking the place of the usual chancel
arch as the whole building is contained under one roof; the screen is plain and not of good workmanship, the only ornamentation being slight columns with crocketed pinnacles on each side of the entry. The altar slab, apparently not pre-Reformation
, is severely mounted on plain stone squares and in keeping with the austere lines of the building. There are also a modern terfoiled aumbry and a piscina in the south wall. The east window is Perpendicular
and high, and on the south side of the nave
is an exceedingly small window which lighted the former rood-loft. The beams of the slightly flattened barrel roof and the wall-plate are of some age. The font is octagonal. The small south door has been built-in and entrance to the building is through the timbered west porch above which is a turret containing two bells, one of which is of 13th century date but slightly smaller than those at Gwernesney
. Only the steps and base remain of the churchyard cross. In the middle of the 16th century the provision of a light in the church, probably that before the high altar, was charged upon three aces of land in the parish. The church house in the hamlet retains many features of the Renaissance period.
Monmouthshire, Its History and Topography, C.J.O. Evans, ~1950
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:...
, in 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...
.
Location
Kemeys Commander, 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of UskUsk
Usk is a small town in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated 10 miles northeast of Newport.The River Usk flows through the town and is spanned by an ancient, arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. A castle above the town overlooks the ancient Anglo-Welsh border crossing - the river can...
, comprises a few farms, cottages, and a church http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/280373 slightly off the main road leading to Abergavenny
Abergavenny
Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...
within a graceful bend of the River Usk
River Usk
The River Usk rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain of mid-Wales, in the easternmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially it flows north into Usk Reservoir, then east by Sennybridge to Brecon before turning southeast to flow by Talybont-on-Usk, Crickhowell and...
.
The name
Its unusual name is derived from the fact that the patronage of the church was at one time held by the Knights Templars and was a commandery or preceptory, as their houses were termed. In the 17th century their successors, the Knights Hospitallers, drew £2 13s. 4d. per annum from demesneDemesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
lands in this parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
. There may have been a hermitage
Hermitage (religious retreat)
Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...
here in early days. It is, however, doubtful whether the Kemeys family
Sir Nicholas Kemeys, 1st Baronet
Sir Nicholas Kemeys, 1st Baronet was a Welsh landowner and soldier during the English Civil War in South Wales and played a key part in events in the region during that conflict.- Lineage :...
ever held it and they probably took their name from another Kemeys, Kemeys Inferior, nine miles (14 km) further down the River Usk
River Usk
The River Usk rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain of mid-Wales, in the easternmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially it flows north into Usk Reservoir, then east by Sennybridge to Brecon before turning southeast to flow by Talybont-on-Usk, Crickhowell and...
. Both of these names are from the Welsh word cemais meaning 'bend in a river', and this is an apt description of the site of this village, which stands at the centre of a long bend of consistent radius.
Despite the fact that the family did not actually take their surname from here, it was "farmed" by Edward Kemeys, perhaps as chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
of the chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
of St. Nicholas in the parish church of Usk
Usk
Usk is a small town in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated 10 miles northeast of Newport.The River Usk flows through the town and is spanned by an ancient, arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. A castle above the town overlooks the ancient Anglo-Welsh border crossing - the river can...
; in 1603 it belonged to an Edward Morgan. In 1801 Archdeacon William Coxe
William Coxe
William Coxe , English historian, son of Dr. William Coxe, Physician to the Royal Household, was born in London. After his father's death his mother Martha married John Christopher Smith, who was Handel's amanuensis ....
came here during his Historical Tour in Monmouthshire and wrote "We here mounted our horses and rode through thickets across the fields to Kemeys Commander, a small village".
Chain Bridge
To the north is Kemeys Bridge, also known locally as Chain Bridge, the present bridge built 1905 to 1906, which takes the main UskUsk
Usk is a small town in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated 10 miles northeast of Newport.The River Usk flows through the town and is spanned by an ancient, arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. A castle above the town overlooks the ancient Anglo-Welsh border crossing - the river can...
to Abergavenny
Abergavenny
Abergavenny , meaning Mouth of the River Gavenny, is a market town in Monmouthshire, Wales. It is located 15 miles west of Monmouth on the A40 and A465 roads, 6 miles from the English border. Originally the site of a Roman fort, Gobannium, it became a medieval walled town within the Welsh Marches...
road http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/288982 over the River Usk
River Usk
The River Usk rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain of mid-Wales, in the easternmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially it flows north into Usk Reservoir, then east by Sennybridge to Brecon before turning southeast to flow by Talybont-on-Usk, Crickhowell and...
; a bridge has been here as far back as the 16th century but was washed away in winter floods in 1690, replaced eventually in 1730 in solid oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and known locally as Pont Kemeys. This bridge in turn was replaced in 1829 by one built by Brown-Lennox of Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
- supported by sturdy chains, hence the name for all bridges on the site since. The next bridge, built by George Palmer of Neath
Neath
Neath is a town and community situated in the principal area of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, UK with a population of approximately 45,898 in 2001...
was an iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
arch with green painted girders, but still referred to as Chain Bridge http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/167776.
The Church
The church of All Saints is held with Betws Newydd nearby and has some interesting features. A small low screen divides the naveNave
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...
from the presbytery
Presbytery (architecture)
The presbytery is the name for an area in a church building which is reserved for the clergy.In the oldest church it is separated by short walls, by small columns and pilasters in the Renaissance ones; it can also be raised, being reachable by a few steps, usually with railings....
, taking the place of the usual chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
arch as the whole building is contained under one roof; the screen is plain and not of good workmanship, the only ornamentation being slight columns with crocketed pinnacles on each side of the entry. The altar slab, apparently not pre-Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, is severely mounted on plain stone squares and in keeping with the austere lines of the building. There are also a modern terfoiled aumbry and a piscina in the south wall. The east window is Perpendicular
Perpendicular
In geometry, two lines or planes are considered perpendicular to each other if they form congruent adjacent angles . The term may be used as a noun or adjective...
and high, and on the south side of 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...
is an exceedingly small window which lighted the former rood-loft. The beams of the slightly flattened barrel roof and the wall-plate are of some age. The font is octagonal. The small south door has been built-in and entrance to the building is through the timbered west porch above which is a turret containing two bells, one of which is of 13th century date but slightly smaller than those at Gwernesney
Gwernesney
- History and amenities :Gwernesney is set in a rural location close to Usk town. The village church is dedicated to St. Michael & All Angels . The village also has a pub . The South Wales Gliding Club operate towed gliders from nearby - often to be seen over the village .-External links:* *...
. Only the steps and base remain of the churchyard cross. In the middle of the 16th century the provision of a light in the church, probably that before the high altar, was charged upon three aces of land in the parish. The church house in the hamlet retains many features of the Renaissance period.
Monmouthshire, Its History and Topography, C.J.O. Evans, ~1950