The Church of St Thomas a Becket is located in

Shirenewton Shirenewton ( cy, Drenewydd Gelli-farch) is a village and community in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It is located 3 miles due west of Chepstow, 5 miles (8 km) by road. The village stands around 500 feet (154 m) above sea level, and has ...

, Monmouthshire, Wales. In the late 12th century the land was inherited by Henry de Bohun. The church was built by his son

Humphrey Humphrey is both a masculine given name and a surname. An earlier form, not attested since Medieval times, was Hunfrid. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Medieval period :''Ordered chronologically'' *Hunfrid of P ...

after he inherited the title in 1220, and was dedicated to St. Thomas à Becket who had been assassinated in 1170 and

canonised Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...

three years later. The chronicler

Adam of Usk Adam of Usk ( cy, Adda o Frynbuga, c. 1352–1430) was a Welsh priest, canonist, and late medieval historian and chronicler. His writings were hostile to King Richard II of England. Patronage Born at Usk in what is now Monmouthshire (Sir Fynwy) ...

, who held the post in 1399, was one of the earliest known rectors of the church.Sir

Joseph Bradney Colonel Sir Joseph Alfred Bradney, (11 January 1859 – 21 July 1933) was a British soldier, historian and archaeologist, best known for his multivolume ''A History of Monmouthshire from the Coming of the Normans into Wales down to the Present T ...

, ''A History of Monmouthshire: The Hundred of Caldicot'', 1932 The church was designated a Grade II listed building on 19 August 1955. Services are normally held at 9:45am on Sundays.

Architecture and fittings

Much of the current church, including the fortified tower,

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

and

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

, originally dates from the 13th century, although it was partly rebuilt and completely restored in 1853. History of Shirenewton Church
/ref>John Newman, ''The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire'', 2000, The church contains a monument to

Ian Oswald Liddell Captain Ian Oswald Liddell VC (19 October 1919 – 21 April 1945) was a British recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth force ...

, who won a

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. He was the grandson of Sir Charles Oswald Liddell of

Shirenewton Hall Shirenewton Hall, originally Shirenewton Court, is a country house and estate adjoining the village of Shirenewton, Monmouthshire, Wales, about west of Chepstow. The estate is located on a hillside, and commands views across the "Golden Valley ...

. The four-faced clock was installed after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. A Millennium Grant has helped pay for floodlighting of the church.

References

External links

Official website

at shirenewton.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Shirenewton, Saint Thomas A Becket 13th-century church buildings in Wales Grade II listed churches in Monmouthshire English churches dedicated to St Thomas Becket