The Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust
Historic Environment Record
 

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St Michael's Church, Llantarnam

Primary Reference Number (PRN) : 00622g
Trust : Glamorgan Gwent
Community : Llantarnam
Unitary authority : Torfaen
NGR : ST30709315
Site Type (preferred type first) : Medieval Church
Status : listed building II*

Summary :
The church at Llantarnam (as opposed to the abbey, which was on a different site) is not mentioned before c1566. The church consists of nave (W gallery houses organ); chancel with a chapel on its N side divide; and rood stair. There are no surviving windows earlier than the 15th century; however what appears to be a very small blocked window on the N wall of the nave suggests a 12th/13th century origin. The tower windows are of post-medieval type. A restoration of 1869 renewed or replaced some openings.

Description :
The church at Llantarnam (as opposed to the abbey, which was on a different site) is not mentioned before c 1566 (Brook, 1988, 79), unless it is the same as the chapel of St Michael next the monastery (Bradney 1923, 246). The churchyard, now and on the tithe map, is basically quadrangular with a annex on the E side. The churchyard cross survives.

The church consists of nave; very wide separate chancel with a chapel on its N side divided off by an arcade; W tower with W door; S porch; vestry to the W of the chapel almost concealing the rood stair, which is to the N of the nave. There is a crypt under the chapel (not accessible) and a boiler house under the vestry; a gallery at the W end of the nave is occupied by the pipes of the organ. A variety of stones are employed in the masonry: local cream/fawn crystalline limestone, small river boulders, red sandstone and conglomerate, but these are almost always used in conjunction; however it is possible to some extent to individuate building phases from the different proportions of the materials employed. The porch in both its phases uses roughly equal amounts of the principal stone; the chancel and porch are largely of river boulders, the chapel has a high proportion of sandstone, apparently used in the form of narrow blocks. Dressings are in sandstone and coarse sandy limestone freestone, very different from the crystalline limestone which does not easily take a finish. Internally the walls have been stripped of plaster, but the remains of limewash on the dressings usually makes it impossible to determine the type of stone used.

There are no surviving windows earlier than the 15th century; however, the presence of what appears to be a very small blocked window on the N wall suggests that the origins of the nave are to be found in the 12th/13th century. Both the chancel arch and the tower arch could date back to the 13th century, but they could also be significantly later. The middle window in the S wall of the nave is of Perpendicular type, as is the S wall of the chancel, and the N windows of the chapel, which was probably constructed at around this time. The interior of the N wall of the chapel, has a large patch in ?Roman brick which looks rather as though a large central window was blocked in; this is not likely to have been after the alabaster tomb of 1596 was inserted. The chapel seems originally to have had a very large rectangular window in the E wall, and another, rather smaller one in the W wall. The date at which these were blocked cannot be established, but the W window must have been blocked after the string course was inserted. The arcade between the chapel and chancel is of unusual form with depressed ogival arches and a central octagonal pier, although on either side the moulding around the heads of the arch sweep continuously down to low moulded bases at the ground.

The windows in the tower, are probably of 16th century date; the heads of the lights lack cusping. The windows in the N wall of the nave and the SW window, which have plain segmental heads without recessed panels in the spandrels, appear to be of later 16th century or 17th century type. The SE window of the nave is a single rectangular light of 17th century type.

Evans (1953, 353) records a restoration of 1869, but this seams to have involved a minimum of rebuilding. To this restoration presumably belong the E window, the rear arch of the S window of the chancel, and both doors and the windows in the porch, as well as the copings.

The font looks as though it has been assembled from disparate medieval elements; almost all the other main fittings are modern, with the exception of a Victorian pulpit. Wright (1938b, 228) notes a ring of six bells, dated 1802.

References:
Bradney, J A, 1923, A history of Monmouthshire. Vol III pt ii; The Hundred of Usk, 243-7
Brook, D, 1988, The early Christian church in Gwent, Monmouthshire Antiq 5, 67-84
Evans, C J O, 1953, Monmouthshire, its history and topography. Cardiff, 353-4
Wright, A, 1938b, The church bells of Monmouthshire iii, Archaeol Cambrensis, 93, 226-47 (228)
Evans 1997 GGAT 51 Historic Churches Project

Grade II* listed church, mostly 15th century with some possible 12th/ 13th century fabric.
Functioned as a chapel for the tenants of Magna Porta manor during the monastic period, though possibly the foci of a pre-Norman parish named Deuma with unknown boundaries (Procter 2018).



Sources :
Evans, E M , 1997 , Gwent Historic Churches Survey: Churches in the Diocese of Monmouth, Archdeaconry of Newport
Evans, E M , 2003 , Early Medieval Ecclesiastical sites in Southeast Wales: Desk based assessment
Page N A , 1994 , Abbey Farm Lands, Llantarnam, Gwent. Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment. ( © GGAT)
Procter, E. , 2018 , The topographical legacy of the medieval monastery: evolving perceptions and realities of monastic landscapes in the southern Welsh Marches
The Handley Partnership , HAAbase built heritage assessment system: Buildings at Risk database
Evans EM, 2003-04, GGAT 73 Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Sites Project
EM Evans (1998) GGAT 51/81 Welsh Historic Churches Survey: Glamorgan and Gwent
2001/EVANS/E/GGAT 63/ROMANO-BRITISH SOUTH EAST WALES SETTLEMENT SURVEY: FINAL REPORT

Events :
E001386 : Early medieval ecclesiastical sites in Southeast Wales desk based assessment (year : 2003)
E003849 : Abbey Farm Lands Llantarnam, Gwent, DBA (year : 1994)
E002266 : The former Montressa Tree Nursey, Llantarnam EVAL. (year : 1998)
E008106 : Gwent Police HQ, Llantarnam Park Industrial Estate, Cwmbran, Torfaen (year : 2018)
E008105 : Gwent Police HQ, Llantarnam Park Industrial Estate, Cwmbran, Torfaen (year : 2017)
E008475 : Former British Ironworks, Talywain, Aberyschan, Torfaen (year : 2022)

Related records
Church in Wales Reference No. 5190 https://churchheritagecymru.org.uk/CHR/ChurchDetails.aspx?id=4230
GGAT Historic Environment Record (HER) 12213g
GGAT Historic Environment Record (HER) 00624g

Compiled date : 12-03-2004


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