The Procurator's House, Magor

Last updated

The Procurator's House
Procurator's House, Magor.jpg
TypeRuin
Location Magor, Monmouthshire, Wales
Coordinates 51°34′44″N2°49′53″W / 51.579°N 2.83141°W / 51.579; -2.83141
Official nameThe Procurator's House, also known as Magor Mansion
Reference no.MM180
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated31 May 1995
Reference no.16064
Monmouthshire UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location of The Procurator's House in Monmouthshire

The Procurator's House in Magor, Monmouthshire, Wales, is a large, ruined mansion of the sixteenth-century, standing next to St Mary's Church in the centre of the village. Although of ecclesiastical origin, it is unlikely the present house was ever occupied by a Procurator, who was a church official responsible for the collection of tithes. The lands owned by the Church of St Mary were controlled by the Abbey of Anagni, in Italy, in the Middle Ages and it is possible that an earlier building on the same site housed the abbey's procurator. The current building post-dates ownership by the abbey, and was constructed when the avowson of St Mary's was controlled by Tintern Abbey. The building is mentioned in a document of 1585, when it is referred to as "the mansion house belonging to the vicarage of Magor." [1] This accounts for the two alternative names for the ruin, Magor Mansion and The Church House.

Contents

The building or, more accurately, its site, is one of only two examples of such procurators' houses known in Britain. Now completely ruined, the current house was constructed c.1500–1550. It is both a Scheduled Monument and a Grade II* listed building.

History

During the thirteenth century, the Abbey of Anagni had become wealthy and powerful, producing four Popes within 100 years. In 1238, during the reign of Pope Gregory IX, who was born in Anagni, the church of St Mary's, Magor, and its associated lands, came under control of the abbey and remained its responsibility until 1385. [1] The church was donated to the abbey by Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of Pembroke and Lord of Chepstow [2] During that time, it is possible that a house was constructed for the abbey's procurator on the site of the present building. [2] In 1385, the church and tithes were leased, and subsequently permanently acquired, by the Cistercian Order of monks located at Tintern Abbey [2] The current building was constructed at some point in the early to mid-sixteen century [3] and is referenced as a"mansion belonging to the vicarage of Magor" in a document of 1585. [1]

Description

The original building was constructed of Old Red Sandstone, over a rubble core, [3] and with Triassic sandstone dressings. [1] It was two storeys high with a cellar below. [3] The main floor was subdivided into three rooms, each with a fireplace. [2] The overall arrangement is "typical of late medieval priests' houses." [1] The plan of the house is broadly rectangular, with two projecting wings. [2]

The Procurator's House, or, more accurately, its site, is one of only two such houses known in Britain, the other being Chesterton Tower, [4] near Cambridge. [5]

A plaque attached to the ruins suggests that they date from the 14th century, rather than the 16th, and represent the remains of the original procurator's house. [6] This claim is repeated on the Magor with Undy Community Council website. [7] However, it is contradicted by Cadw, [2] by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, [3] and by John Newman, author of the Pevsner Guide The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire. [1]

A Scheduled Monument, the ruins are also a Grade II* listed building due to their "important architectural and historic interest." [2]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Newman 2000, p. 374.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cadw. "Magor Mansion (also known as the Procurator's House) (Grade II*) (16064)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Church House (20712)". Coflein. RCAHMW . Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  4. ↑ Historic England. "Chesterton Tower (1331829)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  5. ↑ "Domesday Reloaded: History of the Procurators House". BBC. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  6. ↑ "Cylchgronau Cymru". Journal of The Gwent Local History Council. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  7. ↑ "About Our Villages – Magor with Undy CC". Magorundy.org.uk. 24 April 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2020.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ewenny Priory</span> Former monastery in Wales

Ewenny Priory, in Ewenny in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, was a monastery of the Benedictine order, founded in the 12th century. The priory was unusual in having extensive military-style defences and in its state of preservation; the architectural historian John Newman described it as “the most complete and impressive Norman ecclesiastical building in Glamorgan”. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, parts of the priory were converted into a private house by Sir Edward Carne, a lawyer and diplomat. This Elizabethan house was demolished between 1803 and 1805 and replaced by a Georgian mansion, Ewenny Priory House. The house is still owned by the Turbervill family, descendants of Sir Edward. The priory is not open to the public apart from the Church of St Michael, the western part of the priory building, which continues to serve as the parish church for the village. The priory is in the care of Cadw and is a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tintern Abbey</span> Ruined monastery in Monmouthshire, Wales

Tintern Abbey was founded on 9 May 1131 by Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow. It is situated adjacent to the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye, which at this location forms the border between Monmouthshire in Wales and Gloucestershire in England. It was the first Cistercian foundation in Wales, and only the second in Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tintern</span> Village in Monmouthshire, Wales

Tintern is a village in the community of Wye Valley, on the west bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, Wales, close to the border with England, about 5 miles (8 km) north of Chepstow. It is popular with tourists, in particular for the scenery and the ruined Tintern Abbey. Modern Tintern has been formed by the coalescence of two historic villages: Tintern Parva, forming the northern end of the village, and Chapel Hill, which forms the southern end. The village is designated as a Conservation Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magor, Monmouthshire</span> Human settlement in Wales

Magor is a large village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, about 9 miles (14 km) west of Chepstow and about 9 miles (14 km) east of Newport. It lies on the Caldicot Levels beside the Severn Estuary, and is in the community of Magor with Undy. Magor lies close to the M4 motorway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanthony Priory</span> Grade I listed priory in Wales, UK

Llanthony Priory is a partly ruined former Augustinian priory in the secluded Vale of Ewyas, a steep-sided once-glaciated valley within the Black Mountains area of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It lies seven miles north of Abergavenny on an old road to Hay-on-Wye at Llanthony. The priory ruins lie to the west of the prominent Hatterrall Ridge, a limb of the Black mountains. The main ruins are under the care of Cadw and entrance is free.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanvair Discoed</span> Human settlement in Wales

Llanvair Discoed is a small village in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales, 6 miles west of Chepstow and 10 miles east of Newport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldcliff</span> Village in the city of Newport, South Wales

Goldcliff is a village, parish and community to the south east of the city of Newport in South Wales. It lies within the Newport city boundaries in the historic county of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent. Administratively, the community of Goldcliff includes the village/parish of Whitson. The population in 2001 was 233; by 2011 it had risen to 329.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Prichard</span> British architect (1817–1886)

John Prichard was a Welsh architect in the neo-Gothic style. As diocesan architect of Llandaff, he was involved in the building or restoration of many churches in south Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Pierre, Monmouthshire</span> Human settlement in Wales

St Pierre is a former parish and hamlet in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, 3 miles (4.8 km) south west of Chepstow and adjacent to the Severn Estuary. It is now the site of a large golf and country club, the Marriott St Pierre Hotel & Country Club, which was previously a large manor house and deer park belonging to the Lewis family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Priory Church, Monmouth</span> Church in Monmouthshire, Wales

St Mary's Priory Church, in Whitecross Street, Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales, is an Anglican church founded as a Benedictine priory in 1075. The current church dates mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries. It was designated a Grade II* listed building in 1952. It is one of 24 buildings on the Monmouth Heritage Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Magor</span> Church in Monmouthshire, Wales

The Church of St Mary stands in the centre of the village of Magor, Monmouthshire, Wales. It was designated a Grade I listed building in 1963. The church is the lead church of the Netherwent Ministry Area, led by Rev. Canon Jeremy Harris, and administers to a population of around 32,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade I listed buildings in Monmouthshire</span>

Monmouthshire is a county and principal area of Wales. It borders Torfaen and Newport to the west; Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the east; and Powys to the north. The largest town is Abergavenny, with the other major towns being Chepstow, Monmouth, and Usk. The county is 850 km2 in extent, with a population of 95,200 as of 2020. The present county was formed under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, which came into effect in 1996, and comprises some sixty percent of the historic county. Between 1974 and 1996, the county was known by the ancient title of Gwent, recalling the medieval Welsh kingdom. In his essay on local government in the fifth and final volume of the Gwent County History, Robert McCloy suggests that the governance of "no county in the United Kingdom in the twentieth century was so transformed as that of Monmouthshire".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouthshire</span> List of buildings in principal area of Wales

Monmouthshire is a county of Wales. It borders Torfaen and Newport to the west; Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the east; and Powys to the north. The largest town is Abergavenny, with the other major towns being Chepstow, Monmouth, and Usk. The county is 850 km2 in extent, with a population of 95,200 as of 2020. The present county was formed under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, which came into effect in 1996, and comprises some sixty percent of the historic county. Between 1974 and 1996, the county was known by the ancient title of Gwent, recalling the medieval Welsh kingdom. In his essay on local government in the fifth and final volume of the Gwent County History, Robert McCloy suggests that the governance of "no county in the United Kingdom in the twentieth century was so transformed as that of Monmouthshire".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coldbrook Park</span> House in Llanover, Monmouthshire

Coldbrook Park, Llanover, Monmouthshire, Wales, was a major country house and estate. Home successively to the Herberts, the Hanburys and the Halls, the house was demolished in 1954. The estate, which remains privately owned, is listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Cenedlon's Church, Rockfield</span> Church located in Monmouthshire, Wales

St Cenedlon's is a parish church in the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales. The dedication to St Cenedlon is unusual and the history of the saint is obscure. Some sources suggest that she was a daughter of Brychan king of Brycheiniog while others identify her as the wife of King Arthfael ab Ithel, king of Glywysing. The existing church dates from the Middle Ages but only the tower remains from that period. After the English Reformation, the surrounding area of north Monmouthshire became a refuge for Catholics and Matthew Pritchard (1669-1750), Roman Catholic bishop and Vicar Apostolic of the Western District is buried at the church. By the mid-19th century the church was in ruins and a complete reconstruction was undertaken by the ecclesiastical architects John Pollard Seddon and John Prichard in around 1860. St Cenedlon's is an active parish church in the Diocese of Monmouth. It is designated by Cadw as a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tithe Barn, Abergavenny</span> Barn in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire

The Tithe Barn, Monk Street, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire is a tithe barn of late medieval origins which forms part of a group of historic buildings in the centre of the town. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Anne's House, Tintern</span> Country house in Tintern

St Anne's House, Tintern, Monmouthshire, is a house of early medieval origin which includes elements of the gatehouse and chapel of Tintern Abbey. The building was reconstructed in the mid 19th century, when it was the home of John Loraine Baldwin, founder of the I Zingari Cricket Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Cadoc's Church, Llangattock-juxta-Usk</span> Church in Monmouthshire, Wales

The Church of St Cadoc, Llangattock-Juxta-Usk, Monmouthshire is a parish church with its datable origins in the 15th century. The church was restored in 1827 and again in 1864–5. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Pierre Hotel Gatehouse</span> Gatehouse in Mathern, Monmouthshire

The Gatehouse and attached range, at the St Pierre Hotel, St Pierre, Mathern, Monmouthshire are the most significant remains of the mansion built by the Lewis family in the late 15th century and owned by them until 1924. The original house was built by William Lewis, and extended by his son George, between 1475 and 1508. After the Lewises sold up, the house had a variety of owners and was converted to the clubhouse of a golf club in 1962. It has since been massively extended as a hotel and country club. The gatehouse and range have Grade II* listed building status. The surrounding gardens are included on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.