England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Monknash St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Monknash lies on Glamorgan's southern coastline with the Bristol Channel roughly 6 miles southwest of the small market town of Cowbridge. Monknash sits about 1 mile southwest of the coastal B4265 which links Llantwit Major with Bridgend. Monknash is a small village which forms an "L" shape with most properties lying along either a lane heading in from nearby Wick or along the lane running southeast from their mutual junction. In addition to the main village there is a run of properties in Broughton shared with neighbouring Wick parish. Whilst a coastal parish the village sits well inland on a low limestone plateau which is largely treeless. The parish does have a beach which can be reached by a walk through a local nature reserve and which is described as a "rock-paved shoreline that transforms into flat sands as the tide recedes" and is backed by dramatic limestone cliffs which are traversed by the Wales National Coastal Trail. With no safe harbour Monknash was a farming parish and largely arable with wheat its local speciality. Monknash is drained through that nature reserve by a small beck which heads out onto the beach and the outer Bristol Channel. Monknash is sited at around 70 metres above the sea in gentle terrain which rises beyond Wick to touch the 90 metre contour in a few spots. Monknash parish was relatively small covering just over 1,300 acres and would have supported a population of close to 100 parishioners. Like most of Wales Monknash is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Mary's church sits a little to the south of the main part of the village on the western side of Heol Las. St Mary has its origins in the 12th century when it was granted to Neath Abbey by the local landholder Richard de Granville, it is first mentioned in 1129 and indeed shows masonry from that 12th century Norman period, the main body of nave and chancel in rough limestone blocks is of this 12th century date. Overlain on this early church is some late medieval work, a product of both 15th century remodelling and details introduced by the Victorian restoration such as the Decorated style east window to the chancel. The arch braced roof to the nave is believed to have been added in the 16th century, whilst both the porch and the bell in the western bellcote both carry 17th century dates. The Victorian restoration is from 1860 and largely rebuilt the eastern wall of the chancel. A feature of the churchyard is the number of graves of shipwrecked sailors washed ashore, the stretch of the coast between Monknash and Barry having notorious hidden sand hazards, these have been the subject of televised archaeological digs. To the north of the churchyard the opposite verge is regularly used for off-road parking but is often muddy. The churchyard's northern and western boundaries are marked by tree belts but the favoured aspects are readily available for the photographer.