St Decuman's Church, Rhoscrowther

St Decuman's Church
St Decuman's Church Location in Pembrokeshire
51.68°N 5.03°W / 51.68; -5.03
Country	Wales
History
Dedication	St Decuman
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade I
Architectural type	Church

St Decuman's is a Grade I listed building in Rhoscrowther, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

History

The parish church is on a very early Christian site and is dedicated to Saint Decuman. It was the "bishop-house" of the cantref of Penfro and one of the seven principal churches in Dyfed under medieval Welsh law.^[1] The church is in the care of Friends of Friendless Churches.^[2]

Description

Samuel Lewis in 1833 considered the church "not distinguished by any remarkable architectural details".^[3] It was restored from 1852 and the roof was renewed in 1870. There was further restoration in 1910. It was Grade I listed in 1970.^[4][5]

Structure

It is constructed of rubble stone under a slate roof which carries a bellcote. The nave and chancel are possibly 13th century and the transept, chapel and tower 14th century.^[4]

Internal features

The font, in the north porch, is 12th or 13th century; the nave has a small Norman font. The church contains a number of tombs and memorials, including two recesses and wall-mounted coffin lids. The oldest dated memorial is a 1716 baroque monument to F Powell of Greenhill. The pulpit and lectern are 19th century, and windows range from the 19th and 20th centuries, as recently as 1960.^[4]

References

1. Wade-Evans, Arthur. Medieval Welsh Law, p. 263.
2. "Rhoscrowther, St Decumanus". Friends of Friendless Churches. Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
3. "GENUKI: Rhoscrowther". Retrieved 29 July 2019.
4. Cadw. "Church of St Decumanus (Grade I) (6591)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
5. "British Listed Buildings: Church of St.decumanus, Rhoscrowther, Angle". Retrieved 9 April 2016.