St Catwgs Church - Cadoxton-juxta-Neath, Wales.
N 51° 40.328 W 003° 48.047
30U E 444625 N 5724876
St Catwgs Church - Said to be the oldest church in the vale of Neath. The tower is believed to be from the 13th century, with the nave, chancel & porch dating prior to 1736. Located in Cadoxton-juxta-Neath, Wales.
Waymark Code: WMP380
Location: South Wales, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/22/2015
Views: 1
I can only find limited information on the internet with reference St Catwg's. The dates quoted in this listing, are found in a book called 'The History of St Catwg's' by Keith Tucker, full of interesting data,& archive material.
The book refers to a Vestry meeting on 25th May 1843 to repair the church, & the addition of a northern aisle.
The most famous feature of this old church of St Catwgs, is the churchyard known for the ‘Murder Stone’ Welsh stones which marked the graves of murder victims, in this case, Margaret Williams aged 26 Murdered in 1822. ‘Murder Stones’ were a fashion during the early nineteenth century in Wales.
"The Stonemason worked the word
MURDER in big ominous letters
upon the top of the gravestone in 1823.
The victim was only aged twenty six
when she met her violent fate that night." Text Source: (
visit link) (Worth reading all the text in this web link)
"The Parish Church of St. Catwg, Cadoxton is a ?ne example of a village churchyard. there is a twisted old yew, family vaults, gravestones over two hundred years old.
Just inside the gate, alongside the path that leads to the church, you will see the ‘Murder Stone’. It stands out because it is not square to the path.
It is at an angle to the others around, positioned to face where the murderer was said to live. It stands out because of the words it displays. It speaks of murder, violence, savage, outcry, blood and judgement.
The words on the stone are the words of Elijah Waring, a local Quaker and well-known orator, who commissioned the stone to express the outrage of the community at the murder of Margaret Williams and their belief in a retribution from which there could never be any escape. The Murderer is truly a man without hope or salvation for ‘God hath set his mark upon him'." Text Source: (
visit link)
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