Notes on the History of Merthyr Mawr Church.

 Although our little church is relatively new (built 1848-1852) it was erected on a very ancient site. It replaced a church ‘in a very ruinous condition’ the foundations of which may be seen on the south side of the present structure.  No picture of this earlier church has been found. 

Even this church was probably not the first church on the site.  There is a possibility that about A.D.800 the church here, with about 37 acres of land, was given to the Cathedral Church of Llandaff by Hywel, son of Rhys of the ruling house of Glamorgan, as a penance.  Local finds of ancient memorial stones some far earlier in date than this, indicate early Christian origin, and the name Merthyr Mawr- the Great Martyrium (or shrine) seems to imply an ancient Christian Cemetery of some importance.  Some of the stones that*form the evidence for this claim are housed in the small shed on the north side of the churchyard.  The earliest of them is the 5th-early 6th century memorial to a Paulinus, found when the foundations of the present church were being excavated. The site probably rose to importance, by becoming the burial place of the local ruling house. An earlier name for Merthyr Mawr was apparently Merthyr Glewis, a name which recalls Glywis, the earliest known ruler of part of the area now known as Glamorgan. Apart from its use in this place-name, Glywys’s name is found on two local memorial stones - the Conbelin stone from the bank of the Ogmore river, (at present housed in St. Roque’s Chapel in the grounds of Merthyr Mawr House), and the Artnail stone, discovered being used as a paving stone in Ogmore Castle (now in the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff). Both these stones confirm the importance of the locality in the Dark Ages. 

There are two mutilated effigies of ecclesiastical persons on the south side of the church in the churchyard, one within and the other outside the found­ations of the previous building. There is also an ancient preaching cross, head restored, standing-to the right of the path from the south porch.

Within the church is the ancient font, and two piscinae of differing dates, possibly indicating the presence of a second altar in a side chapel.  The Holy Water stoup, which was once inside the south door on the right hand side, now lies near the font, and the old sundial from the outside of that door, is now on the outside of the chancel, facing south.  The only remaining stonework of any age within the church is the archway leading to the Vestry on the north side of the Chancel.  It was brought from the garden of Newcastle Vicarage when that structure was being demolished, and used for the entrance to the Vestry which was added to the church as recently as 1963- As the adjoining plaque relates, the archway is thought to date from the I3th. Century. 

Let us return to the churchyard, the burial place of the saints, where even in recent times a decorated medieval grave slab was unearthed during the digging of a-new grave.  This has been placed with the more ancient stones in the shed and they are under the protection of the Welsh Office.  The church registers date from 1813, and indicate that this peaceful area was the last resting place of unknown sailors, whose bodies were washed up on the nearby shore, while a layer of lime in another area may mean that cholera victims were buried there. 

In the Spring, the churchyard is indeed a beautiful sight, covered in snowdrops in late January and February, succeeded by crocuses and daffodils in March and April, and finally becoming a mass of bluebells (with white and pink varieties) in May.  Whatever the season, Merthyr Mawr is indeed a hallowed and beautiful place, of which we are the fortunate inheritors.