Cwmbran Church in Wales Ministry Area

History

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The church was built in the early 12th century on the site of an earlier building, possibly the ancient chapel of St Aaron that was known to have existed as a private chapel for the nearby Llantarnam Abbey. The church was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary & Mary Magdalene, on her feast day, 22 July, 1179. The church was also referred to the Monastery of Deuma throughout much of its history. In the 15th century significant alterations were made to the church and major reconstruction commenced, with the eastern wing renovated. Larger windows were installed at this time to provide more light to the aisles. A north chapel, believed to have been built using Italian marble altar reredos from Llantarnam Abbey, was erected, and was later referred to in 1535 as the "chapel of St Michael near the monastery". The tower is of the Tudor architectural style, built of two stages in local stone, and the chancel arcade and stone arches in the early Renaissance shape appear to have been added in the early 16th century.

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In the 16th century, the poet Sawnder Sion, also known as the "Lion of Llantarnam", of Llantarnam Abbey was buried beneath the choir in the church, witnessed by Dafydd Benwyn, another poet and friend of Sion who wrote a poem mentioning the bed "In the choir of St Michael". During the "Popish Plot", on Sunday 17 November 1678, John Arnold of Monmouthshire captured Father David Lewis, also known as Charles Baker, at St Michael's Church where he was preaching; he was later executed. The register of the church dates to 1727, when it is recorded that the church was a vicarage and "net yearly value £108, with 21 acres of glebe, in the gift of the Bishop of Llandaff".

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The church was renovated in 1869–70 by the architect E. A. Lansdowne. A 6-acre cemetery was added in 1892, costing £3,100. In 1921, the church was again renovated, this time with significant changes to the walls by removing the plasterwork. A number of fine mediaeval murals were uncovered during the renovation, amongst them Elijah in the wilderness, John the Baptist and a depiction of a mediaeval priest.

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The Churchyard at St Michael's forms a picturesque background to the ancient church. It is much valued by couples and their guests arriving for weddings held in the church (and as background for their photographs afterwards). The Churchyard has many items of historic and general interest both nationally and locally as well as a wide range of wild life and flowers.

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The Churchyard of St Michael's was closed by Order of the Privy Council on the 10th May 1906. There were some notable exceptions to the official closure with the later addition of graves marked with a military headstones for the internment of Guardsman P Morgan and John Fielding VC.

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Churchyard Cross

 

In the churchyard, you can see the old preaching cross, parts of the shaft of the cross are probably 15th century. Visiting preachers would have spoken here, and it was a stopping-off point in parish processions. The cross is listed as of special architectural and historic interest (Grade ll Scheduled Ancient Monument). It has a square base with rounded spurs at upper angles, the carrying shaft is square at the base, broached to octagonal. A late 19th century cap has been fitted to the shaft with a large ringed cross. Four renewed rubble stone steps with flagstone treads, some reused memorial stones. The stone column stands some 7 feet high topped with a cross of 3 feet six inches. The original weather worn cross was replaced in the early 1900's.

Memorial to Thomas Leadbetter
In October 2003 CADW (Welsh Historic Monuments) listed, for the first time, the memorial to Thomas Leadbetter as a Grade ll item of Special Architectural and Historic Industrial Interest. It is a prominent C19 graveyard memorial of industrial historical interest and is unique of its kind. The memorial obelisk stands in the churchyard some 20 metres NW of the Church, and can be seen immediately on the left hand side of the entrance gate to the church approaching from the road.

The memorial was erected in memory of Thomas Leadbetter, mills and forge manager of the Oakfield Iron Works, Cwmbran who died in 1870. The inscription records the name and details indicating that the memorial was erected by the workmen from the works.

The obelisk is of grey sandstone ashlar, in two sections on a small plinth with coved top mounding on a square base. It is raised on 2 steps with 8 stone piers with chains.

Grave of Guardsman Penry Morgan
In the Churchyard is the military grave of Guardsman Penry Morgan, the first soldier from Cwmbran to be killed in World War I. He died in hospital on 2nd April 1915, from wounds received in action from an enemy shell.

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Grave of John Fielding VC

Also in the churchyard is the grave of John Fielding, a Rorke's Drift hero. He joined the 24th Regiment as John Williams, changing his name because he didn't want his parents to know he'd joined the army. He won the VC for his part in the battle of Rorke's Drift that took place on 22 and 23 January 1879.

A parade is held at the church each year on the nearest Saturday to the anniversary of the battle. More than 100 former servicemen turn out to honour a brave son of Torfaen. John Fielding was from the Cwmbran area,born at Merthyr Road , Abergavenny in 1857 changing his name to John Williams after running away from home to join the regular army. John Fielding lived in Llantarnam Road, Cwmbran and afterwards with his married daughter in Cocker Avenue, Cwmbran. He died on 25 November 1932 aged 75. On the day of his funeral the cortege was half-a-mile long, its progress filmed by Pathe News and distributed to cinemas nationwide.

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Lest We Forget
Whenever attention is drawn to the fallen of this country we recall the eloquence of Laurence Binyon's (1869 - 1943) lines in his Poems for the Fallen.

They shall grow not old,
as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them,
nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun
and in the morning
We will remember them.

The following article appeared in the South Wales Argus on 28 January 2008
Memorial unveiled to VC hero 
By Mike Buckingham

"With a brisk wind catching the regimental standards and a winter sun glinting on their polished brass points, a son of Gwent was remembered 129 years after the valour and defiance for which he was awarded Britain 's highest military honour .

This year there was an added dimension to the annual ceremony honouring Private John Fielding VC who served as Private John Williams of the 24th of Foot and who was one of the heroes of Rorke's Drift.

In the presence of 60 Gwent veterans and Paul Murphy, MP for Torfaen and local dignitaries a memorial for John Fielding was unveiled only two hundred yards from his refurbished grave.

On January 22, 1879 at the remote mission post at Rorke's Drift he was part of a small force detailed to defend the station against oncoming Zulus. When he and his comrade Private Hook ran out of ammunition they held off the attackers at bayonet-point allowing eight patients in the mission hospital to retreat to safety.

The 10 Victoria Crosses won by the 24th at Rorke's Drift remain the highest number ever earned in one engagement".

After the service at St Michael and All Angels the parade formed up behind the standards of the Comrades' Association of the South Wales Borderers (24th of Foot) Pontypool branch, the Cwmbran and District Ex-Servicemen's Association and the Newport branch of the Royal Engineer's Association for the short march to John Fielding Gardens, where the memorial waited under its shroud of scarlet velvet.

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References

1.  "History of our church". St Michael's Church, Llantarnam. Retrieved 14 March 2012.

2. John Newman, The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire, Penguin Books, 2000, ISBN 0-14-071053-1, p.401

3. Williams, David Henry (2001). The Welsh Cistercians: written to commorate the centenary of the death of Stephen William Williams (1837–1899) (The father of Cistercian archaeology in Wales). Gracewing Publishing. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-85244-354-5. Retrieved 14 March 2012.

4. Jump up^ "David Lewis", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography ((subscription or UK public library membership required)) (online ed.), Oxford University Press, 2004, retrieved14 March 2012