England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Martletwy St Marcellus

The Parish

The parish of Martletwy lies in southern Pembrokeshire roughly 6 miles southeast of the town of Haverfordwest. Martletwy lies almost 3 miles west of the closest significant numbered road, the A4075 road which is a linking road joining the A40 Carmarthen to Haverfordwest road with the A477 Carmarthen to Pembroke road. Until the completion of Pembroke's Cleddau Bridge Martletwy was part of the county's intricate coastline formed around the extensive ria-system of the twin Cleddau rivers. Martletwy is a small junction village built around a t-junction of lane, however by far the greatest number of the population lived dispersed across the sizeable parish. Whilst intensively rural today Martletwy had an industrial past with coal worked on the estate of Sir John Owen employing 100 men, that coal was shipped from a dedicated port at Landshipping on the Eastern Cleddau. Much of the parish was unsuitable for arable crops being dominated by pastures, early gazetteers estimating almost 75% of the parish acres as pastoral, what little arable there was mainly grew staples such as oats and potatoes. Martletwy has direct access to the meeting point of Western & Eastern Cleddau which combined take water through the complex of Milford Haven to the Irish Sea. Martletwy is sited at around 30 metres above the sea at the parish church but covers ground from sea-level to 116 metres on Martin Hill to the east on the A4075. For southern Pembrokeshire Martletwy parish was fairly extensive covering almost 2,600 acres which would have supported a population of close to 850 parishioners, the population is probably lower today. Like most of Wales Martletwy is not mentioned in Domesday Book which did not cover this area.

The Church

St Marcellus sits just west of the village sign marking the western limits of properties on Weston Lane, it sits on that road's southern side. Whilst there has been a church here since Norman times in the 12th century it is only represented by the font which had been lost but was re-found in 1897. The chancel arch, often the point from which churches were built outwards is a 13th centruy Early English Gothic piece with an un-decorated round-head. As the church has a 14th century monument to local dignitary Sir Phillip Rees it is likely the basic structure of nave, chancel and northern aisle had been completed by that date. The northern aisle was increased in length during the Perpendicular era either late 15th or 16th century and either 16th or 17th century saw the addition of the southern porch. The church has been subject to heavy Victorian restorations, hence the hesitancy over dates, the first of 1848-1850 was a major rebuild of the basic fabric whilst the second in 1897 was concerned with roofs and the tracery. Immediately east of the churchyard a small car park has been cut into the broad verge allowing around 3 vehicles to safely park off-road. Unfortunately for the photographer the church sits tight to the southwestern corner of the churchyard leaving only adequate views from north and east.