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St Lawrence?S Church, St Lawrence

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NPRN423637
Map ReferenceSM92NW
Grid ReferenceSM9336027518
Unitary (Local) AuthorityPembrokeshire
Old CountyPembrokeshire
CommunityHayscastle
Type Of SiteCHURCH
PeriodEarly Medieval
Description
St Lawrence's Church lies within a rectilinear churchyard, with earthwork evidence for an earlier, curvilinear boundary. The church is some 200m south-east of St Lawrence Camp promontory fort (NPRN 305215) and some 130m south of Patrick's Ford, which is suggestive of a former dedication to St Patrick. In 1130 the church was granted to Slebech Commandery as `Ecclesia de Vado Paricii? (i.e. `Patricksford?). An early medieval inscribed stone, St Lawrence 1 (NPRN 423638) is built into the south wall of the chancel and is thought to be 10th-century in date.

The church is a Grade 2 listed building, constructed of limestone rubble. It consists of 3-bayed nave, 2-bayed chancel, south porch, and vestry north of the chancel west wall. The cylindrical stem and square base of the font are thought to be medieval (possibly 12th-century), but the square font bowl is thought to date to 1877. The nave may be 13th-century in date. Its west wall has a large, square bellcote of probable 14th-century date. The chancel is thought to date to the 14th-century and retains its medieval chancel arch. The porch is thought to be 15th-century and has a medieval vault and water stoup. The church was restored in 1877, but there is no evidence for any major alteration. The church has a number of memorials including two fine plaques on the north wall, signed Greenways of Bristol: the first to John Protheroe of Egremont and later Stone Hall (died 1807 and the other to John Wogan of Stone Hall and his descendants up to William Ford (died 1793). The chancel south wall has a plaque to Thomas Higgon (died 1834) signed J. Thomas, Haverfordwest.

Sources include:
Cadw, Listed Buildings Database
Cambria Archaeology, 2000, Historic Churches Project, Pembrokeshire gazetteer
Cambria Archaeology, 2003, Early Medieval Ecclesiastical Sites Project, Pembrokeshire gazetteer

N Vousden, 14 November 2018