Saint Mary's church in liberty, Tenby is mostly 15th century, but with the Bell Tower base, Chancel, & Wagon Roof, believed to date from the 13th century remains of an earlier church, & which was enlarged in the 15th Century.
"The tower was built about 700 years ago and is older than most other parts of the church, and older than most other church towers in Pembrokeshire. When first built it provided a belfry and a chapel, and could also serve as a lookout point and a place of refuge in troubled times. The spire was added about 200 years later, and its height (152ft.) makes it a notable landmark for travellers by land or sea.
In the tower, there are eight bells with weights ranging from the Treble - 4 cwt (203 kgs) and the Tenor - 12 cwt (609 kgs). The Bells ring every Sunday morning from 9.30 until 10.00 am. the Bells also ring for other special occasions such as weddings.
The stairs lead on up to the belfry where the eight bells hang in a wooden frame. Four of them were cast in 1789 as part of the a ring of six bells by William Bilbie of Chewstoke in Somerset, and the frame is mainly of this date. Each of them is lettered with the names of the churchwardens at that time: Thos. Saer and John Lock, and the tenor bell (the heaviest weighing over 12 cwt.) also has the inscription: "I to the church the living call and to the grave doth summon all". The two treble (or lightest) bells added in 1818 are by Warner of Birmingham, named and lettered respectively: Sanctus Georgius, Sanctus David, and Sancta Maria. The fourth bell was recast in 1951 by Taylor of Loughborough and is suitably lettered, the whole ring being then retuned and re-hung. A 15th-century bell that used to hang outside the north side of the spire now stands inside the church. IN 1659 there were five bells but several had to be recast before 1789 because they cracked." Text Source: (
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"St Mary's is one of the largest parish churches in Wales, and boasts a 152-ft spire. Begun in the 13th century, and enlarged in the 15th century, the church has a wagon roof in the chancel, decorated with carved bosses. The church is full of memorials from the 15th-19th centuries.
History
There was a Norman church on this site, but the earliest part of the current building dates to the 13th century. The chancel is from that period, as is the tower base.
The real highlight inside St Mary's is the beautifully carved chancel roof, with a panelled ceiling decorated with 75 carved bosses. Among the figures depicted are a mermaid, fish, grotesque beasts, and many different foliage and floral designs.
There are a pair of medieval chapels; the St Thoma Chapel is mid-15th century and the St Nicholas Chapel was built around 1485. Other highlights include a 15th century font, and there is a second font, dating to the 19th century.
Of the numerous memorials to local worthies, 2 stand out, to Thomas and John White. Both served as mayors of Tenby in the 15th century. Thomas White made his reputation by helping Henry Tudor hide from agents of King Richard III. There is an ashlar table tomb to Bishop Robert Tully of St Davids (d 1482) and a monument to Margaret ap Rees of Scotsborough (d 1610).
Look for the Elizabethan mural tablet to Richard Recorde (1512–1558), who was the first to use an equals sign (=) in mathematical equations in his 1557 work 'The Whetstone of Witte'. Recorde was also the royal physician to both Edward VI and Mary I, and served as Controller of the Royal Mint. Sadly, Recorde was imprisoned for debt, and died in the King's Bench Prison in Southwark at the age of just 46." Text Source: (
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