St Mary's Church, Pentraeth
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church, Pentraeth is a small medieval parish church
in the village of Pentraeth
, in Anglesey
, north Wales. The date of construction is unknown, but is probably from some time between the 12th to 14th centuries. A church dedicated to St Mary
was recorded here in 1254, but there is a tradition that there was an older church dedicated to St Geraint, an early British saint. Some medieval stonework remains in three walls of the building (the west wall, and parts of the north and south walls). A chapel was added to the south side in the 16th or 17th century. The church was altered and refurbished during the 19th century, including an extensive rebuilding by Henry Kennedy, the architect for the Diocese of Bangor, in 1882. St Mary's is still used for worship by the Church in Wales
, and is one of five churches in a combined parish. Its conservation is specifically included in the aims of a Chester-based charity that promotes health and the arts in Anglesey and the north-west of England.
It is a Grade II listed building, a national designation given to "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them", in particular because of the retention of medieval fabric in a predominately 19th-century building, and its "fine" memorials. It is built from rubble masonry
with a slate roof, and part of a font thought to date from the 12th century has been reused as a water basin in the porch. St Mary's has a number of memorials from the 18th and 19th centuries, some commemorating residents of a nearby manor house. There was once a tradition of decorating the interior with paper garlands, although writers differ on whether this was to celebrate parishioners' weddings or to mark the death of unmarried women. It was one of only two churches in Anglesey included by the 18th-century writer Francis Grose
in his multi-volume guide to English and Welsh antiquities.
, Anglesey, about 4 miles (6.4 km) from the town of Menai Bridge
. It is situated at the junction of the A5025 and the B5109 roads. The date of the foundation of the first religious building on this site is unknown. There is a tradition that there was originally a church here dedicated to St Geraint, an early British saint, since the old name for the village was Llanfair-Bettws-Geraint. However, a Pentraeth church dedicated to St Mary was recorded in the Norwich Taxation of 1254. The present building probably dates from sometime between the 12th and the 14th centuries, with the nave
and chancel
being medieval in origin.
A chapel was added to the south side of the parish church
at the end of the 16th century or the early part of the 17th century. A restoration of the interior took place in 1821 with further changes in 1839. Henry Kennedy, the architect of the Diocese of Bangor, oversaw a partial but extensive rebuilding in 1882, which included reconstruction of the east wall and the addition of the porch on the south side. He also added an internal arch to mark the sanctuary as part of rebuilding or extending of the chancel. A reredos
and some other fittings were added in the first part of the 20th century.
St Mary's is still in use for worship and belongs to the Church in Wales
. It is one of five churches in the combined benefice
of Llansadwrn
, Llanddona
, Llaniestyn
, Pentraeth and Llanddyfnan. The church is in the deanery
of Tindaethwy and Menai, the archdeaconry of Bangor
and the Diocese of Bangor. As of October 2011, the position of rector
has been vacant since April 2011. The "conservation, protection and improvement" of St Mary's are included in the aims of the Tyrer Charitable Trust, a Chester-based charity that promotes health and the arts in Anglesey and north-west England; it is the only church so specified in the charity's aims and objectives.
, and Kennedy added red sandstone dressings in his 1882 work. The nave measures 50 feet 3 inches long by 17 feet 3 inches wide (about 15.3 by 5.3 m); the chancel is the same width, and about 7 feet (2.1 m) long. The chapel is 17 feet by 20 feet 6 inches (about 5.2 by 6.25 m). There is medieval masonry in three of the walls: the west wall, and the lower parts of the north and south walls. The roof is made of slate, with a stone bellcote containing one bell at the west end. Inside, the wooden truss
es of the roof are visible. The trusses were re-used when the roof was reconstructed. The church is entered through a porch on the south side, added in the 19th century, and a Tudor arch
doorway; the porch contains a stone piscina
(a water basin), said to be part of a font dating from the 12th century. An old entrance in the north wall of the nave has been blocked up. Two of the three windows in the north wall are from the 19th century. The third, nearest to the east end, is from the early 17th century and has a square frame. The eight-sided font also dates from the 19th century. The 1937 survey by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire also recorded the existence of an oak poor box, with iron straps, bearing the date of 1740, and a plain silver cup from about 1685.
The chancel and the south chapel are each separated from the nave by arches; the chancel arch, which was added by Kennedy in 1882, is decorated with carvings of an eagle on one side and a lamb on the other. Steps lead up from the nave to the chancel, with a further step marking the sanctuary. The east window dates from the late 14th or the early 15th century, although it has been rebuilt, with three lights (vertical sections separated by mullion
s). These are topped with tracery
(decorative stone work) and cinquefoils (a five leaf pattern). It contains stained glass depicting St Mary and St John, added in 1890. The east window in the chapel is of similar design to the 17th-century window in the north wall of the nave, and dates from the late 16th or early 17th century; restoration work has been carried out on it. The south window has a pointed arch with two lights topped by cinquefoils; it is above a sill for an older window. There is also a window in the west wall of the chapel.
St Mary's contains a number of memorials from the 18th and 19th centuries. Members of the families associated with Plas Gwyn, a nearby manor house, have their memorials in the chapel. John Jones, who was Dean
of Bangor Cathedral
from 1689 to 1727, was born at Plas Gwyn, and is commemorated with a stone tablet on the south wall of the chancel. Another native of Pentraeth, the cleric and writer Thomas Owen
, who died in 1812, also has a tablet in the chancel. Charles Vivian, 2nd Baron Vivian
(who died in 1886), and his wife Mary are remembered with a bronze tablet on the east wall of the chapel. There are other memorials on the walls of the chapel and the nave. The south window of the chapel has stained glass in memory of Claud Panton Vivian, of Plas Gwyn, who died at the age of 24 during the Second World War. The churchyard has a number of graves for members of the Vivian family, and their plot contains "four beautifully-carved Celtic crosses."
The church used to be decorated with paper garlands. This tradition was noted in the 18th century, when a writer thought that they symbolised the "hymeneal union" (i.e. marriage) of parishioners, because the garlands each had a pair of hands in the centre. In 1833, another writer said that the garlands marked the death of unmarried women, but the tradition was no longer observed.
(the Welsh Government body responsible for the built heritage of Wales and for the inclusion of Welsh buildings on the statutory lists) also notes "some fine 18th-century and 19th-century memorials."
The 18th-century writer Francis Grose
, who wrote a multi-volume guide to the antiquities of England and Wales, included St Mary'a in his survey of Anglesey, one of only two churches on the island that he featured (the other being St Cybi's, Holyhead). He said that this "little edifice is more remarkable for its simplicity, and the beauty of the rural scene by which it is surrounded, than for any matters of antiquity or curiosity in its construction, or contained within its walls". The Welsh antiquarian Angharad Llwyd
and the writer Samuel Lewis (both writing in the 19th century before the 1882 alterations) each described St Mary's as a "small neat edifice". They particularly noted the internal and external monuments to members of various local families.
Writing in 1847, the clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones
said that St Mary's was "remarkable for being in one of the sweetest spots in the isle of Anglesey" The interior, he said, was "greatly blocked up with pews", but was in "excellent repair", with "a degree of neatness and comfort about it quite unusual in this district." The roof timbers, he commented, were "closely set together, light in section, but producing a good effect." The Welsh politician and church historian Sir Stephen Glynne
visited a couple of years later, in 1849. He described St Mary's as being in a "pretty" situation, "surrounded by trees". He noted the "fair" east window and the "rude timber framework" of the roof. In 2006,a guide to the churches of Anglesey noted that the red sandstone used in the windows and in the bellcote was showing signs of "severe weathering" in places.
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the village of Pentraeth
Pentraeth
Pentraeth is a village on the island of Anglesey , north Wales, at . The Royal Mail postcode begins LL75.Its Welsh name means at the end of a beach, and it is located near Traeth Coch . There is a small river, Afon Nodwydd which runs through it. The village's ancient name was Llanfair Betws Geraint...
, in Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, north Wales. The date of construction is unknown, but is probably from some time between the 12th to 14th centuries. A church dedicated to St Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
was recorded here in 1254, but there is a tradition that there was an older church dedicated to St Geraint, an early British saint. Some medieval stonework remains in three walls of the building (the west wall, and parts of the north and south walls). A chapel was added to the south side in the 16th or 17th century. The church was altered and refurbished during the 19th century, including an extensive rebuilding by Henry Kennedy, the architect for the Diocese of Bangor, in 1882. St Mary's is still used for worship by the Church in Wales
Church in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
, and is one of five churches in a combined parish. Its conservation is specifically included in the aims of a Chester-based charity that promotes health and the arts in Anglesey and the north-west of England.
It is a Grade II listed building, a national designation given to "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them", in particular because of the retention of medieval fabric in a predominately 19th-century building, and its "fine" memorials. It is built from rubble masonry
Rubble masonry
Rubble masonry is rough, unhewn building stone set in mortar, but not laid in regular courses. It may appear as the outer surface of a wall or may fill the core of a wall which is faced with unit masonry such as brick or cut stone....
with a slate roof, and part of a font thought to date from the 12th century has been reused as a water basin in the porch. St Mary's has a number of memorials from the 18th and 19th centuries, some commemorating residents of a nearby manor house. There was once a tradition of decorating the interior with paper garlands, although writers differ on whether this was to celebrate parishioners' weddings or to mark the death of unmarried women. It was one of only two churches in Anglesey included by the 18th-century writer Francis Grose
Francis Grose
Francis Grose was an English antiquary, draughtsman, and lexicographer. He was born at his father's house in Broad Street, St-Peter-le-Poer, London, son of a Swiss immigrant and jeweller, Francis Jacob Grose , and his wife, Anne , daughter of Thomas Bennett of Greenford in Middlesex...
in his multi-volume guide to English and Welsh antiquities.
History and location
St Mary's Church is in the middle of PentraethPentraeth
Pentraeth is a village on the island of Anglesey , north Wales, at . The Royal Mail postcode begins LL75.Its Welsh name means at the end of a beach, and it is located near Traeth Coch . There is a small river, Afon Nodwydd which runs through it. The village's ancient name was Llanfair Betws Geraint...
, Anglesey, about 4 miles (6.4 km) from the town of Menai Bridge
Menai Bridge
Menai Bridge is a small town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in north Wales. It overlooks the Menai Strait and lies by the Menai Suspension Bridge, built in 1826 by Thomas Telford...
. It is situated at the junction of the A5025 and the B5109 roads. The date of the foundation of the first religious building on this site is unknown. There is a tradition that there was originally a church here dedicated to St Geraint, an early British saint, since the old name for the village was Llanfair-Bettws-Geraint. However, a Pentraeth church dedicated to St Mary was recorded in the Norwich Taxation of 1254. The present building probably dates from sometime between the 12th and the 14th centuries, with 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...
and 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...
being medieval in origin.
A chapel was added to the south side of the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
at the end of the 16th century or the early part of the 17th century. A restoration of the interior took place in 1821 with further changes in 1839. Henry Kennedy, the architect of the Diocese of Bangor, oversaw a partial but extensive rebuilding in 1882, which included reconstruction of the east wall and the addition of the porch on the south side. He also added an internal arch to mark the sanctuary as part of rebuilding or extending of the chancel. A reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
and some other fittings were added in the first part of the 20th century.
St Mary's is still in use for worship and belongs to the Church in Wales
Church in Wales
The Church in Wales is the Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses.As with the primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, the Archbishop of Wales serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishops. The current archbishop is Barry Morgan, the Bishop of Llandaff.In contrast to the...
. It is one of five churches in the combined benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
of Llansadwrn
Llansadwrn, Anglesey
Llansadwrn is a small village in south-east Anglesey, in north-west Wales. It lies between Menai Bridge, Pentraeth and Beaumaris. It is named after the church, founded in the 6th century by Saint Sadwrn, who together with his wife, is commemorated by an early Christian monument.The village was the...
, Llanddona
Llanddona
Llanddona is a village famous for its beach in Ynys Môn , North Wales.Located between Benllech and Beaumaris, it is popular as a holiday destination on Anglesey, particularly for families...
, Llaniestyn
St Iestyn's Church, Llaniestyn
St Iestyn's Church, Llaniestyn is a medieval church in Llaniestyn, Anglesey, in north Wales. A church is said to have been founded here by St Iestyn in the 7th century, with the earliest parts of the present building dating from the 12th century. The church was extended in the 14th century, with...
, Pentraeth and Llanddyfnan. The church is in the deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
of Tindaethwy and Menai, the archdeaconry of Bangor
Bangor, Gwynedd
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
and the Diocese of Bangor. As of October 2011, the position of rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
has been vacant since April 2011. The "conservation, protection and improvement" of St Mary's are included in the aims of the Tyrer Charitable Trust, a Chester-based charity that promotes health and the arts in Anglesey and north-west England; it is the only church so specified in the charity's aims and objectives.
Architecture and fittings
The church is built from irregularly positioned pieces of rubble masonryRubble masonry
Rubble masonry is rough, unhewn building stone set in mortar, but not laid in regular courses. It may appear as the outer surface of a wall or may fill the core of a wall which is faced with unit masonry such as brick or cut stone....
, and Kennedy added red sandstone dressings in his 1882 work. The nave measures 50 feet 3 inches long by 17 feet 3 inches wide (about 15.3 by 5.3 m); the chancel is the same width, and about 7 feet (2.1 m) long. The chapel is 17 feet by 20 feet 6 inches (about 5.2 by 6.25 m). There is medieval masonry in three of the walls: the west wall, and the lower parts of the north and south walls. The roof is made of slate, with a stone bellcote containing one bell at the west end. Inside, the wooden truss
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
es of the roof are visible. The trusses were re-used when the roof was reconstructed. The church is entered through a porch on the south side, added in the 19th century, and a Tudor arch
Tudor arch
A four-centred arch, also known as a depressed arch or Tudor arch, is a low, wide type of arch with a pointed apex. It is much wider than its height and gives the visual effect of having been flattened under pressure...
doorway; the porch contains a stone piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
(a water basin), said to be part of a font dating from the 12th century. An old entrance in the north wall of the nave has been blocked up. Two of the three windows in the north wall are from the 19th century. The third, nearest to the east end, is from the early 17th century and has a square frame. The eight-sided font also dates from the 19th century. The 1937 survey by the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire also recorded the existence of an oak poor box, with iron straps, bearing the date of 1740, and a plain silver cup from about 1685.
The chancel and the south chapel are each separated from the nave by arches; the chancel arch, which was added by Kennedy in 1882, is decorated with carvings of an eagle on one side and a lamb on the other. Steps lead up from the nave to the chancel, with a further step marking the sanctuary. The east window dates from the late 14th or the early 15th century, although it has been rebuilt, with three lights (vertical sections separated by mullion
Mullion
A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...
s). These are topped with tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
(decorative stone work) and cinquefoils (a five leaf pattern). It contains stained glass depicting St Mary and St John, added in 1890. The east window in the chapel is of similar design to the 17th-century window in the north wall of the nave, and dates from the late 16th or early 17th century; restoration work has been carried out on it. The south window has a pointed arch with two lights topped by cinquefoils; it is above a sill for an older window. There is also a window in the west wall of the chapel.
St Mary's contains a number of memorials from the 18th and 19th centuries. Members of the families associated with Plas Gwyn, a nearby manor house, have their memorials in the chapel. John Jones, who was Dean
Dean (religion)
A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:...
of Bangor Cathedral
Bangor Cathedral
Bangor Cathedral is an ancient place of Christian worship situated in Bangor, Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It is dedicated to its founder, Saint Deiniol....
from 1689 to 1727, was born at Plas Gwyn, and is commemorated with a stone tablet on the south wall of the chancel. Another native of Pentraeth, the cleric and writer Thomas Owen
Thomas Owen
Thomas Owen was a Welsh Anglican priest and translator of works on agriculture.-Life:Owen was born in Anglesey, Wales in 1749. He studied at Jesus College, Oxford, matriculating on 20 March 1767. He obtained a B.A. degree in 1770. He then transferred to The Queen's College, Oxford, obtaining his...
, who died in 1812, also has a tablet in the chancel. Charles Vivian, 2nd Baron Vivian
Charles Vivian, 2nd Baron Vivian
Charles Crespigny Vivian, 2nd Baron Vivian , was a British peer and Whig politician.-Background:Vivian was the eldest legitimate son of Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian, and Eliza, daughter of Philip Champion de Crespigny.-Political career:Vivian sat as a Member of Parliament for Bodmin between 1835...
(who died in 1886), and his wife Mary are remembered with a bronze tablet on the east wall of the chapel. There are other memorials on the walls of the chapel and the nave. The south window of the chapel has stained glass in memory of Claud Panton Vivian, of Plas Gwyn, who died at the age of 24 during the Second World War. The churchyard has a number of graves for members of the Vivian family, and their plot contains "four beautifully-carved Celtic crosses."
The church used to be decorated with paper garlands. This tradition was noted in the 18th century, when a writer thought that they symbolised the "hymeneal union" (i.e. marriage) of parishioners, because the garlands each had a pair of hands in the centre. In 1833, another writer said that the garlands marked the death of unmarried women, but the tradition was no longer observed.
Assessment
St Mary's has national recognition and statutory protection from alteration as it has been designated as a Grade II listed building – the lowest of the three grades of listing, designating "buildings of special interest, which warrant every effort being made to preserve them". It was given this status on 30 January 1968, and has been listed because it is "a predominantly late 19th-century church which retains some Medieval fabric". CadwCadw
-Conservation and Protection:Many of Wales's great castles and other monuments, such as bishop's palaces, historic houses, and ruined abbeys, are now in Cadw's care. Cadw does not own them but is responsible for their upkeep and for making them accessible to the public...
(the Welsh Government body responsible for the built heritage of Wales and for the inclusion of Welsh buildings on the statutory lists) also notes "some fine 18th-century and 19th-century memorials."
The 18th-century writer Francis Grose
Francis Grose
Francis Grose was an English antiquary, draughtsman, and lexicographer. He was born at his father's house in Broad Street, St-Peter-le-Poer, London, son of a Swiss immigrant and jeweller, Francis Jacob Grose , and his wife, Anne , daughter of Thomas Bennett of Greenford in Middlesex...
, who wrote a multi-volume guide to the antiquities of England and Wales, included St Mary'a in his survey of Anglesey, one of only two churches on the island that he featured (the other being St Cybi's, Holyhead). He said that this "little edifice is more remarkable for its simplicity, and the beauty of the rural scene by which it is surrounded, than for any matters of antiquity or curiosity in its construction, or contained within its walls". The Welsh antiquarian Angharad Llwyd
Angharad Llwyd
Angharad Llwyd was a Welsh antiquary and a prizewinner at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.She was born at Caerwys in Flintshire, the daughter of Rev. John Lloyd, himself a noted antiquary. Her essay entitled Catalogue of Welsh Manuscripts, etc. in North Wales won a prize at the Welshpool...
and the writer Samuel Lewis (both writing in the 19th century before the 1882 alterations) each described St Mary's as a "small neat edifice". They particularly noted the internal and external monuments to members of various local families.
Writing in 1847, the clergyman and antiquarian Harry Longueville Jones
Harry Longueville Jones
-Life:Jones was the son of Edward Jones by Charlotte Elizabeth Stephens, was born in Piccadilly, London, in 1806. His father was second son of Captain Thomas Jones of Wrexham, who adopted the additional name of Longueville on succeeding to a portion of the Longueville estates in Shropshire. Jones...
said that St Mary's was "remarkable for being in one of the sweetest spots in the isle of Anglesey" The interior, he said, was "greatly blocked up with pews", but was in "excellent repair", with "a degree of neatness and comfort about it quite unusual in this district." The roof timbers, he commented, were "closely set together, light in section, but producing a good effect." The Welsh politician and church historian Sir Stephen Glynne
Sir Stephen Glynne, 9th Baronet
Sir Stephen Richard Glynne, 9th Baronet was a Welsh landowner and Conservative Party politician. He is principally remembered as an assiduous antiquary and student of British church architecture...
visited a couple of years later, in 1849. He described St Mary's as being in a "pretty" situation, "surrounded by trees". He noted the "fair" east window and the "rude timber framework" of the roof. In 2006,a guide to the churches of Anglesey noted that the red sandstone used in the windows and in the bellcote was showing signs of "severe weathering" in places.