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St Athan's Church, St Athan

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NPRN170
Map ReferenceST06NW
Grid ReferenceST0169968003
Unitary (Local) AuthorityThe Vale of Glamorgan
Old CountyGlamorgan
CommunitySt Athan
Type Of SiteCHURCH
PeriodMedieval
Description
This church is dedicated to St Tathan, who is said to have founded a church here in the sixth century. The current church is built in the fourteenth-century Decorated style on a cruciform plan consisting of a chancel, embattled central tower, nave, north and south transepts, and a southern porch. The belfry originally contained four bells but now contains six, the oldest of which dates to 1653.The church is reputed to have been founded by Philip de Nerber of Castleton and the north wall contains a sepulchral recess which once contained an effigy of de Nerber, but which now contains an eighteenth-century memorial to Robert Corrock. Unfortunately, the church's medieval wall-paintings were destroyed during restoration and renovation in 1888, but the church retains many other medieval and early modern features. Of particular note are two tomb chests with effigies for members of the Berkerolles family of East Orchard Castle, St Athan. The earlier tomb is that of Sir William Berkerolles (d.1329) and his wife, Phelice de Vere. Their effigies are of a knight and lady and contains details such as leopards? masks on the knight's sword-belt and scabbard and dogs at the lady's feet. The panelling of the chest tomb displays pairs of kneeling figures, ladies on the west and north sides and knights on the east side (the south side is concealed), each sharing a book. There are also knights at the corners. The other tomb is of Sir Roger Berkerolles (d. 1351) and his wife Katherine Turberville de Coity and is more extravagant, with more detailed armour on the knight. The figures also display more naturalism, with the lady inclining slightly towards the knight. The knight's feet rest on a lion, the lady's on a lioness. The tomb is under an elaborate canopy with a winged, bearded figure at its centre and thus is of a type occurring rarely in Wales. The tomb chest is decorated with four single kneeling figures under crocketed pinnacles. The two centre figures resemble monks, those to the left and right resemble knights with scrolls. Both tombs have been recoloured.

(Sources: Stephen W. Williams, `Some Monumental Effigies in Wales?, Archaeologia Cambrensis (1890), 188-92; Geoffrey R. Orrin, Medieval Churches of the Vale of Glamorgan (Cowbridge: 1988), pp. 327-33).
A.N.Coward, RCAHMW, 12.04.2018
Resources
DownloadTypeSourceDescription
application/pdfCAP - Cambrian Archaeological Projects ArchiveArchaeological Watching Brief Report relating to St Athan's Church, St Athan. CAP Report Number 598.