St Cadoc's Church, Raglan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Church of St Cadoc, Raglan, Monmouthshire
Church of St Cadoc
St Cadoc's
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Location	Raglan, Monmouthshire
Country	Wales
Denomination	Church in Wales
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	C13th-C14th century
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	18 November 1980
Architectural type	Church
Administration
Parish	Raglan
Deanery	Raglan/Usk
Archdeaconry	Monmouth
Diocese	Monmouth

St Cadoc's Church is a historic church in the village of Raglan, Monmouthshire, in south east Wales. It stands at a crossroads in the middle of the village. The church was first built by the Clare and Bluet families in the 1200s and 1300s. Later, the Herbert family, who lived at Raglan Castle, rebuilt and made it bigger in the 1400s. In the 1800s, a big restoration project was done by Thomas Henry Wyatt. The church is built in the Decorated style and is a special Grade II* listed building.

History of St Cadoc's Church

The church's history goes back a long way. Some records suggest the very first church on this spot was founded by Saint David, the patron saint of Wales. However, the church is now named after Saint Cadoc.

The current church building was likely started by the de Clare family. They were early lords of Raglan. The Bluet family finished building it in the 1300s. The church was then greatly expanded by the Herbert family from Raglan Castle. Their relatives, the Somersets, who became Earls and Marquesses of Worcester and later Dukes of Beaufort, also added to it.

The Beaufort Chapel and its Tombs

The Beaufort Chapel is a special part of the church. It was built by the Somerset family. This chapel holds three large tombs of the Earls of Worcester. These were important lords of Raglan and Raglan Castle during the Middle Ages. Their bodies are buried in a secret crypt underneath the chapel.

During the English Civil War, soldiers from the Parliamentarian side damaged these tombs. The tombs belong to William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester, Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Hastings.

Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester, who died in an accident, is also buried here. A plaque placed in 1868 lists all the Somerset family members buried in the church.

The Three-Faced Clock

The church tower has a unique clock with only three faces. A local writer, Fred Hando, explained why. The person who paid for the clock, Miss Anna Maria Bosanquet, refused to add a fourth face. This was because she had a disagreement with the owners of the nearby Raglan Station.

Memorials and Stained Glass

The church also has memorials to the Barons Raglan. They lived at a nearby place called Cefntilla Court. One stained glass window remembers the military achievements of FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan during the Crimean War.

Architecture and Design

The main parts of the church, the chancel and the nave, were built in the 1300s. The tall west tower was added in the 1400s. An expert, John Newman, noted that the tower's diagonal supports are unusual. He thinks they were built around the same time as similar work at Raglan Castle in the 1460s.

The Beaufort Chapel, where many Raglan lords are buried, was built in the mid-1500s. The church's font, used for baptisms, is very old. It was found buried in a vicar's garden and returned to the church in the 1920s.

Most of the church's current look comes from a big restoration in 1867–1868. This work was led by Thomas Henry Wyatt. All the church's stained glass windows are from this time. The restoration was paid for by Henry Somerset, 8th Duke of Beaufort. It also included building the Lady Chapel. When the roof was repaired in 2016, workers found an older "wagon-roof" underneath. This type of roof was common in Monmouthshire during the Middle Ages.

Approximate floorplan (not to scale) of St Cadoc's Church.

In the churchyard, there is a very old and well-preserved base and stump of a medieval cross.

Exploring the Somerset Crypt

Underneath the church is a special burial place called the Somerset family crypt. In 1868, a plaque was put in the church. It lists some of the important people buried there, including several Earls and Marquesses of Worcester.

The crypt has been disturbed a few times over the centuries:

• During the English Civil War (1642-1651), soldiers opened the vault and damaged some tombs. The broken parts of three statues were moved to the Beaufort Chapel.

View looking East within the Beaufort chapel. The remains of three tomb statues damaged during the English Civil War are on the floor.

• Before 1797, a writer named Charles Heath visited the church twice. He found that the floor of the chancel had collapsed, giving access to the crypt's two rooms. He explored it and wrote about what he found. He saw seven lead coffins and parts of wooden coffins scattered around.

A drawing of Charles Heath's 1797 findings in the Somerset crypt.

• In 1860, Mr. Osmond A Wyatt, a land agent, opened the vault again. He also saw seven lead coffins. He noticed that one of them seemed to have been opened before. He also saw bones on the floor.

A drawing of Wyatt's survey of the crypt from 1860.

• In 1861, a group of people, including Bennet Woodcroft and John Macgregor, opened the crypt. They were looking for a model steam engine. Edward, the second Marquis, had said he wanted it buried with him. They opened two of the seven coffins but did not find the model.

The table below shows what different people thought about the seven lead coffins found in the crypt: