Church of St. Marcellus, Martletwy, Pembrokeshire

History

The church of Martletwy is mediaeval although heavily restored, but also retains an interesting early font and a fine early monumental effigy. It is first mentioned in 1231, in a confirmation of the grant to the Knights Hospitallers of Slebech by John, son of Raymond by Bishop Anselm. The first recorded Vicar of Martletwy was Peter Filiol in 1317.

The chancel arch, and hence the nave and chancel, are basically Norman. The porch may be the same age, but its outer arch is plain and could be rustic work of later date. The font is probably also Norman but it stands on an elaborate Early English base, probably of the C13. The original black marble altar slab is said to lie beneath the present altar. The church was enlarged perhaps in the C15 by the addition of a N aisle. No tower was added, but the N aisle has a bellcote at its W apex.

During the 1840s it appears the roof was renewed. In the 1850s interior repairs were carried out and the seating improved. Work on the chancel was carried out in 1879, during which the tomb effigy of Sir Philip, an early C15 priest, was discovered.

The main restoration of the church, was completed in 1894 in the time of the Rev. F. O. Thomas. The work was to the designs of the architect Ernest V Collier of Carmarthen, at a cost of £805 toward which the ICBS granted £25. The windows were entirely restored and the roofs, floor and interior surfaces renewed to an extent which has left almost no historic detail intact.

Exterior

Nave with S porch and chancel; large N aisle separately roofed. Bellcote at the W end of the aisle, no tower. The masonry is local uncoursed sandstone rubble throughout, flush or ribbon pointed. The walls are not battered except for a small part at the NW corner of the nave. The roof is slate with red ridge tiles, coped gables to all parts except the porch, and carved crosses at all apexes.

The doors and most of the windows are the work of the late C19 restoration. Both the porch inner door and the door to the vestry have pointed arches. The porch outer opening has a large round-headed arch formed in irregular sandstone voussoirs; on one of them is a primitive sundial hole with shallow incised lines. The windows of the C19 restoration generally are pairs of lights with a top quatrefoil, in plate tracery. The E window is of three lights in plate tracery, under a label mould with ball foliage terminals; the centre light has a trefoil head and an ogee-shaped transom, the side lights are simply pointed. To the S of the Chancel is a small lancet and a smaller window, about 10 by 40 cm, the remnant of a mediaeval low-side-window.

The restored bellcote for a single bell at the W end of the aisle is in similar masonry, but the arch over the bell is in brickwork.

Interior

The nave, chancel and N aisle roofs all have collar beam trusses. The nave is of five bays and the chancel of three. The chancel arch is low and round-headed with simple impost mouldings. The nave and chancel floors are paved with red terracotta tiles with coloured decorative margins, more highly decorated in the sanctuary. There is one step up at the chancel arch and two steps to the sanctuary. The N aisle floor is of wood blocks. The aisle is separated from the chancel by a low pointed arch and from the nave by two similar arches on a circular column with simple abaci to the column and responds. Behind a pine screen at its E end there is a vestry.

The porch roof is of collar-tied common rafters and its floor is of slate flagstones. There are benches each side.

There is a single sedile cut into the splay of the chancel S window; its seat continues as a step beneath the sill of the window, but there is hardly enough width to say there were two sedilia. An adjacent piscina was removed in 1897. The small window nearer to the chancel arch wall is the remnant of a low-side-window, with wide splayed jambs and a small seat; the recess extends down to floor level. These early features only survive as decorationless shapes beneath the C19 plaster.

The high altar and reredos are in carved oak in a Gothic style. The altar of the N aisle, against the vestry screen, was brought from the redundant church at Yerbeston; previously it had been in a London church, and bears the marks of fire damage in the War. The organ was brought from a Yorkshire church and installed in 1962; it is by Albert Keates. The nave has late C19 pine pews and a pine pulpit on a stone base with four steps.

The font stands beside the entrance: it is square with a simple roll-moulding on all edges, and stands on a C19 pillar on a fine and rather large C13 column base with flattened mouldings and voluted corner motifs.

Facing the chancel, at the N side of the chancel arch, is a fine high-relief carving of a priest's tonsured head; the head is represented lying on a simply carved pillow and there are the simple incised outlines of the two hands as if resting on the chest, palms inwards with thumbs out. The inscription around is now scarcely legible but is said to be in early C15 lettering, commemorating Sir Philip.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as basically a mediaeval church, heavily restored, but with traces of early features in the chancel; and including an interesting early priest's effigy and very good font.

External Links

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