St Mary's Church is situated within a raised, rectilinear churchyard, which seems to have formerly been curvilinear, and the site may be early medieval in origin. Traces of the former boundary are visible as an earthwork in the north-west corner of the churchyard. The church is mentioned in documents of the mid-12th century and again in the Taxatio of 1291 when it was assessed at £40. The church was formerly dedicated to St John the Baptist. The late medieval mortuary chapel dates to the 15th century and did not originate as a grave-chapel (capel-y-bedd). Carew is a large parish, with at least one former dependent chapelry. The church is some 1km south of Carew Castle, pre-Conquest llys site and post-Conquest castle nucleation. The church was a parish church during the post-Conquest period, belonging to the Deanery of Pembroke. The living was both a rectory in the patronage of the Earls of Pembroke (before passing to the Carew family) and a vicarage in the patronage of the rectors.

The church is a Grade I listed building, constructed of limestone rubble. It consists of 4-bayed chancel, 3-bayed nave, 2- bayed north aisle, 3-bayed south aisle, 3-storeyed west tower, south porch, vestry and boilerhouse. The patronage of Sir Rhys ap Thomas, Lord of Carew, is thought to provide the context for work at the church (including the tower) during the late 15th?early 16th century. The nave is thought to be 13th?14th century in date. The chancel, with north (and former south) transepts are thought to date to the mid-14th century. The chancel has its original piscina and sedilia.The chancel is floored with medieval heraldic tiles, traditionally said to have been moved from Carew Castle in the late 17th century. The tower was added around the 15th century and is of Somerset type. There are a number of early memorials, including tomb recesses with effigies dating from the 14th?17th centuries. The vestry was added around the 17th? 18th century. The box pews date to the early 19th century. The church was restored in 1852, to the designs of George Gilbert-Scott. A Crimean memorial window dates to 1857. The font is 19th century. The church was again restored in the 1890s. The boilerhouse was added in 1922.

Sources include:
Cadw, Listed Buildings database
Dyfed Archaeological Trust, 2000, Historic Churches Project, Pembrokeshire gazetteer
Dyfed Archaeological Trust, 2003, Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Sites Project, Pembrokeshire gazetteer

N Vousden, 16 November 2017

The church contains memorials for servicemen who died in the Second World War, including airmen who were stationed at RAF Carew Cheriton.