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Historic Environment Record
 

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St Mary's Priory Church, Abergavenny

Primary Reference Number (PRN) : 02338g
Trust : Glamorgan Gwent
Community : Abergavenny
Unitary authority : Monmouthshire
NGR : SO30101413
Site Type (preferred type first) : Medieval Church
Status : listed building I, Scheduled Monument

Summary :
St Mary's Abergavenny is the church of the Benedictine priory founded before AD 1100 by Hamelin de Ballon; the nave and N aisle were serving the parishioners by 14th century. The church consists of nave, separate chancel, N aisle, N and S transepts, two chapels of which one is now used as the vestry and organ chamber, central crossing tower, and W porch. The surviving medieval fabric, at the E end of the church, seems to have been constructed mainly between the end of the 13th century and the end of the 14th century, although it is possible that some of work may have been carried out as a result of the damage inflicted on the priory by Owain Glyndwr . The nave and N aisle were extensively rebuilt in the 19th century. The church contains an extensive collection of medieval stone and wooden sculpture.

Description :
St Mary's Abergavenny is the church of the Benedictine priory founded before AD 1100 by Hamelin de Ballon; the nave and N aisle were serving the parishioners by 14th century (Robinson 1993). It became the parish church after the dissolution of the priory. The church lies to the N of the priory cloister (Lawler 1995, Lawler and Marvell 1995).

The church consists of nave, separate chancel, N aisle, N and S transepts, two chapels of which one is now used as the vestry and organ chamber, central crossing tower, and W porch. The nave and N aisle are parallel and of nearly equal height and width, divided by an arcade supported on compound piers; both have arches at the E end, the one at the end of the nave giving access to the crossing under the central tower, which also has arches to both transepts and the chancel. The N transept opens to the N aisle, with the N walls of the aisle and transept on the same line. The S transept projects beyond the church and its line is continued by a range of priory domestic buildings; there has also been a building against the N wall of the N transept, as evidenced by the crease of its roof, and it is therefore unclear whether the window in this wall is of entirely of Victorian construction, or whether it replaced an earlier one which had been blocked by this building. The chancel is separated from the chapels by arcades supported on heavy square piers similar to those at the crossing. The porch is of three bays, separated by doors; the main entrance is in the central bay, under a gable, and the side bays give access respectively to the nave and N aisle.

The building seems to have been constructed mainly between the end of the 13th century and the end of the 14th century, although it is possible that some of work may have been carried out as a result of the damage inflicted on the priory by Owain Glyndwr (Robinson 1993, 45). Interpretation is hampered by extensive campaigns of rebuilding in 1882 and 1896, by the heavy pointing and remains of rendering still to be seen on parts of the medieval fabric, together with the painting of the piers of the arches in the crossing and the area to the E; and by the renewal of all the windows with the exception of four blocked windows in the chancel and Lewis chapel, of which only one retains its tracery, and the head of the E window. This last has been described as Norman (Gilbert nd, 16), but it is very wide and extremely slender. It may more plausibly be interpreted as Perpendicular, although the present Perpendicular tracery was put in 1922 when the window was restored to its former size, after having been reduced in 1828 to allow the chancel ceiling to be lowered (loc cit, and Sproule-Jones 1968, 11). The blocked window on the N wall of the Lewis Chapel suggests a date of the late 13th/early 14th century for this part of the building, which is consistent with the larger (renewed) window on this wall, and the arcades: the E window in this chapel is an insertion. The tower appears to be 14th century, as it has ogee-headed windows, it may therefore be slightly later be slightly later than the chapels; the masonry too is clearly distinguishable. The partial blocking of the first-floor lights in the tower by the chancel and N transept roofs indicates that these must originally have been lower, or at least of lower pitch. It is possible that the chancel clerestory is in fact an addition, as might be suggested by the difference in masonry of the N wall. What little can be seen of the clerestory windows (probably two each side) suggests that they date rather later than the original construction of the E end and were part of the presumed Perpendicular refenestration of the church.

Restorations of the 19th and 20th century are reasonably well documented. The main effect of the restoration of 1828 was to remove the central arcade between the nave and N aisle to provide single space surrounded by galleries and covered by a new roof of single span, and also to lower the chancel roof (with concomitant reduction in size of the E window)and effectively cut the chancel off from the nave. In 1874 Gilbert Scott was commissioned to report on the state of the fabric and propose measures to restore the church to its medieval form. Some, though not all, of his proposals were adopted over the course of a series of restorations in 1882, 1896, 1911 and 1922 (Gilbert nd, 16); it is possible that at least some work was carried out shortly after the report was made, although this is not recorded by Gilbert; a lapse of eight years between proposals for works and their being carried out was not normal in the Victorian period, and Scott noted at that that the window in the Herbert chapel had badly decayed mullions and tracery which urgently needed renewal. If this is the case, the renewal of the windows in the S wall of the nave and the insertion or enlargement of the windows in the N and S walls of the nave (not mentioned in Glynne's description of 1836: Glynne 1902, 81-3), all of which are in the same limestone, may have taken place at the same time.

The 1882 restoration saw the rebuilding of the nave and N aisle, with a new arcade between them, and the construction of a new W porch/narthex. The S wall of the nave does not appear to have been greatly affected by these changes; it still retains much of its early masonry, and the windows, which retain elements of their ?original dressings were probably at a different date. The masonry used in this campaign of restoration was a distinctive Victorian style featuring squared rock-faced blocks set in snecked courses with dressings of a medium-grained sandstone streaked with red and yellowish-fawn. The 1896 restorations concentrated on the chancel and chapels, and it is possible that the renewal of windows using limestone, if not done in the 1870s, dates to this period, since it involved major work in the chancel. The construction of a new vaulted ceiling in the chancel should also be linked to the raising of the roof. The lower part of the tower, within the church, took place in 1911, although the upper part had to wait until 1950. The E window in the chancel was restored and provided with new tracery in 1922, and the N transept window built in 1954, replacing an earlier window noted by Col Symonds in 1645 (GRO D992.4); the dressings of both windows used the same stone as that employed in the 1882 restorations (Sproule-Jones 1968, 11). Further restorations and renovations took place in the 1960s, but are not so clearly visible in the fabric, and a campaign of restoration of the monuments in the Herbert Chapel was taking place at the time of this survey; archaeological investigation forms a part of this work (Locock 1994a and 1994b; Page 1994).

The most notable fittings in the church are the Norman font bowl, the 15th century choir stalls (Crossley and Ridgway 1959, 20-8) and the extensive collection of monuments. The monumental sculpture is currently being restored (in the Herbert Chapel and S transept, which are thus not open to full inspection); but includes medieval and post-medieval effigies, published by Bradney, and a rare wooden sceptre of Jesse from a Jesse Tree. The monuments elsewhere in the church are much as noted by Bradney, other than the flat slabs in the floors, which are largely ignored by him, and some of the wall plaques, which have changed position. Fragments of wallpainting with heraldic devices have been found in the Herbert Chapel behind one of the tombs against the S wall (Per com F Olding).

The wall plaster was photographed and then drawn at 1:1 in situ, marking areas of damage, paint, and plain disaster. Heights were measured from the finished floor height (at 55.76m OD) (Locock 1997).

References
Documentary
GRO D992.4 Manuscript and typescript notes on historical subjects, Abergavenny and area

Published
Bradney, J A, 1906, A history of Monmouthshire. Vol 1 pt iia, The Hundred of Abergavenny, 158-72
Crossley, F H, and Ridgway, M H, 1959, Screens, lofts and stalls situated in Wales and Monmouthshire. Part ten, Section XIII: Monmouthshire Archaeol Cambrensis 108, 14-71
Gilbert, M, nd, A guide to the priory church of St Mary the Virgin, Abergavenny, with notes on the brasses, mural tablets, monuments and tombs Oxford
Glynne, S R, 1902, Notes on the older churches in the four Welsh dioceses Archaeol Cambrensis 6 ser 2, 81-114
Lawler M, 1995, Archaeological field evaluation: St Mary's Priory, Abergavenny (South claustral range). Unpub, Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Report No 95/081
Lawler, M and Marvell A G,1995 Abergavenny, St Mary's Priory Archaeol Wales 35 1995
Locock, M, 1994a, Archaeological excavation Herbert Chapel, St Mary's Priory Church, Abergavenny, Gwent. Unpub, Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Report No 94/060
Locock, M 1994b, Abergavenny, St Mary's Priory Church, Archaeol Wales 34 1994, 69
Page, N A, 1994 Archaeological excavation: St Mary's Church, Abergavenny Unpub, Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust Report No 94/016
Robinson, D M, 1993, The priory church of Abergavenny, The Cardiff Area: Suppl to Archaeol J 15, 43-6.
Sproule-Jones, H R, 1968, St Mary's Priory Church, Abergavenny. Gloucester

(Evans 1997: GGAT51 Welsh Historic Churches Survey)

Subsequent to the Welsh Historic Churches Survey, the interior of the east end of the church has been plastered, concealing some of the evidence for the church's structural development. (Evans, 2010)

Excavation of the chest tomb of Dr David Lewis,founder of Jesus College Oxford, in the Lewis Chapel of St Mary's parish church Abergavenny.

First principal of Jesus College Cambridge in 1541, also judge at the High Court of the Admiralty in the reign of Elizabeth 1 and became Member pf Parliament for Monmouthshire in 1554. Died 1584.

The Lewis Chapel measures c14m by 6m. Its eastern and western sections are divided by a step running north to south. The Lewis monument lies in the eastern section of the chapel area.

His tomb is located ' on the north of the choir (against the north wall). According to the 19th century historian Joseph Bradley the monument is still in its original position. The monument stands 1.50m high by 2.22m long and 0.835m wide. Reclining on top of the chest tomb is a carved effigy of Dr Lewis clad in ceremonial dress of cap and gown also an acorn, oak leaf and anchor, the symbols of the Royal Navy. The head is orientated west and rests on a book and cushion, his hands raised in prayer. The limestone tablet on which the effigy rests has a linear chamfer and moulded edge overlapping four supporting vertical limestone slabs.

Phase 1 of the excavation recovered disturbed human remains, all believed to be those of Dr David Lewis.
(Nash 1999)

Excavations in the central area of the chapel and between the southern line of the Lewis Chapel and the choir stalls (Nash 2000)




Sources :
Bradney, J A , 1906 , A History of Monmouthshire: The Hundred of Abergavenny (pt 2a)
Evans, E M , 1997 , Gwent Historic Churches Survey: Churches in the Diocese of Monmouth, Deanery of Abergavenny
Glynne, S R , 1902 , Notes on the older churches in the four Welsh dioceses
Locock M , 1994 , Archaeological Excavation, Herbert Chapel, St Mary's Priory Church,Abergavenny,Gwent: Report on Further Work ( © GGAT)
Nash G , 1999 , Chest Tomb Dr David Lewis St Mary's Church Abergavenny , Archaeology in Wales : 39 : 139-140
Nash G , 2000 , Reburial human remains Lewis Chapel St Mary's Church Abergavenny , Archaeology in Wales : 40 : 140
Owen Edward , 1900 , The Bells of the Priory Churches of Abergavenny and Brecon. , Archeologia Cambrensis : 55 : 294-298
The Handley Partnership , HAAbase built heritage assessment system: Buildings at Risk database
Wright A. , 1937 , The Church Bells of Monmouthshire. I. , Archaeologia Cambrensis : 92 : 294-310
Youngs S.M. & Clark J. , 1982 , Medieval Britain in 1981 , Medieval Archaeology : 26 : 224-225
GGAT Assessment - excavation at St Mary's Church Abergavenny
GGAT Assessment - excavation of Herbert Chapel, St Mary's Ch
Evans EM, 2003-04, GGAT 73 Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Sites Project
EM Evans (1998) GGAT 51/81 Welsh Historic Churches Survey: Glamorgan and Gwent

Events :
E001386 : Early medieval ecclesiastical sites in Southeast Wales desk based assessment (year : 2003)
E002234 : Sir William De Hastings Monument, Abergavenny (year : 1997)
E008461 : Abergavenny 3 - 19 School (year : 2021)

Related records
National Monuments Record NPRN 377 http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/377/details
GGAT Historic Environment Record (HER) 01325g
Church in Wales Reference No. 160 https://churchheritagecymru.org.uk/CHR/ChurchDetails.aspx?id=2985

Compiled date : 12-03-2004


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