The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Nash is the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

of the village of Nash, situated about south of the city of Newport,

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. Described as "the cathedral of the moors" by

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

historian Fred Hando, the large church is medieval in origin, with additions and restorations dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Newman Newman is a surname of Germanic Anglo-Saxon origins. Newman is the modern English form of the name used in Great Britain and among people of British ancestry around the world (as is 'Numan'), while Neumann (with variant spellings) is used in Ger ...

describes the 15th-century steeple as "unique in South East Wales". Since 3 January 1963 it has been designated a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

primarily due to its "medieval tower with fine spire."

Description

The church consists of three parts. It has a three-story 15th-century steeple with an octagonal spire, but provides no access to the body of the church. The

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 ...

is 18th-century and the

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

19th-century. The interior has "a complete Georgian ensemble of gallery,

box pews A box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th centuries. History in England Before the rise of Protestantism, seating was not customary in ch ...

and three-decker

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

." Since 3 January 1963 it has been designated a Grade I

. primarily due to its "medieval tower with fine spire."

History

The church belonged to Goldcliff Priory in 1349 when Robert Arney was instituted to the

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

. The Arney family, in the time of Charles II, left a cottage and of land, called "The Poor's Six Acres", for the support of the poor of the parish. Hando, page 29 The church was largely rebuilt during the 16th century. The only remains of the Norman church is the North Wall of the

and the squint or

hagioscope A hagioscope () or squint is an architecture, architectural term denoting a small splayed opening or tunnel at seated eye-level, through an internal masonry dividing wall of a church in an oblique direction (south-east or north-east), giving wo ...

. An unusual feature, the squint was used to enable those with

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

or other such diseases, to see or participate in the service without endangering the rest of the congregation with infection. The tower is unusually located on the north side of the chancel. The church is thought to originally have been much larger, incorporating a North aisle. In the early years of the 20th century the floor of the bellringer's room was used as a temporary mortuary for the bodies of five sailors who had been drowned at sea, in a violent storm, near the East Usk Lighthouse. Four of the sailors had been found lashed to the mast. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the church saw congregations of 400. The church interior was restored in 2004–2005. Sunday services are held weekly at 9.30am and the church is also open daily from 10am to 4pm during July and August. Described as "the cathedral of the moors" by

historian Fred Hando.

says the 15th-century steeple is "unique in South East Wales".

, page 417

Great flood of 1607

On 30 January 1607 the Bristol Channel floods drowned many people and destroyed a large amount of farmland and livestock; recent research has suggested that the cause is likely to have been a

storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...

. There is a memorial plaque in St Mary's Church in neighbouring Goldcliff. A contemporary depiction of the flood shows a church thought to be St Mary's, Nash.

Notes

References

* Newman, John (2002), ''The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire'', New Haven; London: Yale University Press. . * Hando, F.J. (1958), ''Out and About in Monmouthshire'', Newport: R. H. Johns.

External link

''1607, a true report of certaine wonderfull ouerflowings of waters, now lately in Summerset-shire, Norfolke, and other places of England : destroying many thousands of men, women, and children, ouerthrowing and bearing downe whole townes and villages, and drowning infinite numbers of sheepe and other cattle''
at

Yale University Library The Yale University Library is the library system of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Originating in 1701 with the gift of several dozen books to a new “Collegiate School," the library's collection now contains approximately 14.9 m ...

{{coord, 51.5480, N, 2.9488, W, source:wikidata, display=title Nash, St Mary Nash, St Mary