Hay

The name of Hay comes from the norman haye meaning, enclosure. It is a market town on the Welsh/English border in the UK and has a population of around 2,000 people. The Romans had an encampment on the north bank of the river Wye, but the normans in the 12th century established Hay, building a castle and the first St. Mary's as the parish church. Today Hay is famous for the largest secondhand bookshops. (For more details explore the links at the bottom of the page.)

The orginal 12th century church had suffered years of neglect by absentee vicars, till in 1828 it was described as 'dark comfortless and ill-contrived and quite inadequate in point of size.' So St. Mary's Church was almost entirely rebuilt by Edward Haycock in 1834.Only the lower stages of the orginial 12th century West tower remain, an embattled top being added during the rebuilding. The work included a new nave with south and west galleries and a small chancel.

Further improvements were made in 1866-67. The chancel arch was replaced by three Gothic arches and the chancel enlarged by the addition of an apse, organ chamber and vestry. A south porch was also errected.

Amongst the new furnishings was an octagonal pulpit in Italianite style with medallions on five sides representing Our Lord and the Four Evangelists, installed in 1879. Stained glass picturing 'The Agony in the Garden', 'The Crucifixtion', and 'The Entombment' was fitted in the three one-light windows of the apse. In 1888 a new organ was installed.

The badly worn figure of an unkown monk at the west end of the nave comes from the earlier church. In the tower (not normally open to visitors) is one bell, cast by Evans Foundry, Chepstow in 1740. The Communion Plate, (not kept in the church), includes an Elizabethan chalice and pattern cover hallmarked 1576. The church registers go back to 1688, further details are on the Genuki site.

St. Mary's is not the only church in Hay, St. John's Church is to be found in the centre of the town as well.