The Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust
Historic Environment Record
 

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St.John the Baptist Church, Oldcastle

Primary Reference Number (PRN) : 01605g
Trust : Glamorgan Gwent
Community : Crucorney
Unitary authority : Monmouthshire
NGR : SO3246724575
Site Type (preferred type first) : Medieval Church
Status : listed building II

Summary :
Oldcastle church was a possession of Llanthony Priory. It consists of nave, separate chancel, S porch and W bellcote, and its present appearance i due to the restoration of 1864. Since the Historic Churches survey it has been deconsecrated and sold on as a house.

Description :
Oldcastle church was excluded from consideration by both Brook (1988) and Davies (1953). It does not appear in the Llandaff Charters (Davies 1979); Bradney (1907, 230) notes that it was impropriated by Llanthony Priory. The churchyard is irregular, although it appears on the tithe map (GRO D.1173) as largely curvilinear, and is now so badly overgrown that it was not possible to establish whether the cross is still in its recorded position to the S of the church. The church is now disused and unsafe, and the Church in Wales is considering options for disposal. At the tmile of the field visit, entry to the church not possible, and interior were details noted through a broken window in the nave, supplemented by the RCAHMW preliminary notes (RCAHMW's attempted to carry out a full survey at the same time as GGAT's site visit, but had the same problems of access; at the time of writing, they had still been unable to arrange access).

The church consists of nave, separate chancel, S porch and W bellcote and is constructed in the local fine-grained red/grey sandstone (Old Red Sandstone). The present state of the masonry, much obscured by pointing and ivy on the outside and by pointing on the inside, makes assessment of the fabric history virtually impossible; the windows provide the only information, and this is of limited value since they were all either renewed or replaced in the restoration of 1864. Bradney (ibid)states that the old church was entirely destroyed, but he is not generally very reliable on such matters, and there is both architectural and documentary evidence to indicate that the restoration, although it superficially altered the church's appearance, was only partial. A proper assessment of how much medieval fabric is left can only be made once all excrescences have been removed from the walls on the outside, and the plaster on the inside.

The 1864 restoration (architect J P Seddon), was paid for by the Rosher family (ex inf incumbent and residents of adjoining farmhouse) and does not appear in church records. A grant application was made to the Incorporated Society, but this was in respect only of an estimated ?130 for reseating and ?200 for repairs to roof and walls (ex inf J Newman). Records in the churchwardens' accounts (GRO D/Pa7.8) of fairly extensive expenditure on roofs in the early 1870s (100 slates in the year ending Easter 1872 and 500 in the following year), plus the periodical collections taken for repairs to the church in the same period, suggests that, even if more extensive work took place than originally envisaged, it was not a complete rebuilding. It this case, it would be unlikely that the walls had been taken down and rebuilt. What architectural evidence is available tends to support this conclusion. Although the nave and chancel windows were all replaced during the restoration, the form of the rear arches with semi-circular heads and deep splays, suggest that the openings still retain their medieval form, and a 12th century date is likely for these parts of the church. What is visible of the porch and bellcote suggest that they were rebuilt. The E and W windows are clearly of Victorian design, and there is no evidence for what they replaced.

A second restoration took place in 1933, architect J Newton Jones. The accounts in the parish minutes (GRO D/Pa 7.8) specify repairs to parapets of chancel, replacement of roof ...[?], for total cost of ?53.12.0; plus rehanging of the bells. Interior renovation was deferred to 1936-7 but seems to have been limited in nature, consisting of repairs to plaster, whitewashing, staining timber at top of walls, and laying a new floor in the nave.

The church contains a crudely scuptured stone head and a mutilated Norman font (Evans 1953, 437), but otherwise the fittings are mainly Victorian (RCAHMW). Wright (1940a, 42) notes two bells, one of 1778 and the other of 1793.

References
Documentary
GRO D.1173, 1839, Tithe map
GRO D/Pa 7.4, 1899-1955, Parish minute book (including Easter Vestry minutes)
GRO D/Pa 7.8, 1863-1898, Churchwardens' accounts

Published
Bradney, J A, 1906, A history of Monmouthshire. Vol 1 pt iia, The Hundred of Abergavenny, 230-2
Brook, D, 1988, The early Christian church in Gwent, Monmouthshire Antiq 5, 67-84
Davies, E T,1953, An ecclesiastical history of Monmouth. Risca
Davies, W, 1979, The Llandaff Charters. Aberystwyth
Evans, C J O, 1953, Monmouthshire, its history and topography. Cardiff, 437
Wright, A, 1940a, The church bells of Monmouthshire v, Archaeol Cambrensis, 95, 36-47 (42)
Evans 1997 GGAT 51 Historic Churches Project

Rebuilt in the mid-19th century but with surviving 12th century fabric. Deconsecrated in 1987 and now a Grade II listed private house (Procter 2018).


Sources :
Evans, E M , 1997 , Gwent Historic Churches Survey: Churches in the Diocese of Monmouth, Deanery of Abergavenny
Evans, E M , 2003 , Early Medieval Ecclesiastical sites in Southeast Wales: Desk based assessment
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

Events :
E001386 : Early medieval ecclesiastical sites in Southeast Wales desk based assessment (year : 2003)
E002496 : St. John the Baptist Church, Oldcastle. EVAL (year : 1999)

Related records
Church in Wales Reference No. 126 https://churchheritagecymru.org.uk/CHR/ChurchDetails.aspx?id=2973
National Monuments Record NPRN 3023 https://coflein.gov.uk/en/site/3023/details/st-john-the-baptists-church-oldcastle
GGAT Historic Environment Record (HER) 01720g
GGAT Historic Environment Record (HER) 12378g

Compiled date : 12-03-2004


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