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Old Mortuary Chapel, Carew

Coordinates: 51°41′22″N 4°49′40″W / 51.6895°N 4.8278°W / 51.6895; -4.8278
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Old Mortuary Chapel
The Chapel in St Mary's Churchyard, Carew
Religion
AffiliationChristianity
PatronSt Mary
Location
LocationCarew, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Old Mortuary Chapel, Carew is located in Pembrokeshire
Old Mortuary Chapel, Carew
Shown within Pembrokeshire
Geographic coordinates51°41′22″N 4°49′40″W / 51.6895°N 4.8278°W / 51.6895; -4.8278
Architecture
Completed14th-15th century
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name: Old Mortuary Chapel
Designated14 May 1970
Reference no.5945[1]

Old Mortuary Chapel is a medieval Grade I listed building[2] in St Mary's churchyard, Carew, Pembrokeshire, Wales.[3]

Structure

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The building has two storeys under a slate roof, is oriented east–west, and is built from limestone rubble. It is accessed by external steps. It has a vaulted undercroft.[3][4]

Monument

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There is an exterior monument to John Relly, an early Calvinist Methodist leader who died in 1777.[4]

Uses

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The undercroft dates from the 14th or 15th century, and may have been an ossiary. In 1625 the building was referred to as a schoolhouse, and was used for this purpose until 1872. In 1833, the school educated 50 pupils, and 70 attended Sunday School. In 1846 it became a national school with up to 116 children until the village school opened in 1872. The building may have been used as a mortuary chapel, and is known by that name. After 1872, the building, which has a large blocked-up window, was used as a committee room, store and as a residence, housing paupers as late as about 1840. The building has been locally known as "The Oratory". Its current use is as a parish meeting room and Sunday School.[3][4] S. Lewis, in 1833, describes the building:[5]

In the churchyard is an ancient building, apparently coeval with the church, which is occasionally used as a parochial school, the master being appointed by the vicar.

References

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  1. ^ Cadw. "Old Mortuary Chapel (Grade I) (5945)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  2. ^ Cadw. "Old Mortuary Chapel (Grade I) (5945)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "St Mary's Schoolhouse; Charnel House; Carew Cheriton Mortuary Chapel (305158)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  4. ^ a b c "British Listed Buildings: Old Mortuary Chapel". Retrieved 17 November 2018.
  5. ^ "GENUKI: Carew 1833". Retrieved 17 November 2018.

Further reading

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  • R Scourfield, History of St Mary's Church, Carew (1994);
  • W G Spurrell, History of Carew (1921), pp. 44–57, 81–87, 89–94, 103–130
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