Saint Mary's church in liberty, Tenby is mostly 15th century, but with the Tower base, Chancel, & Wagon Roof, believed to date from the 13th century, all of which were the remains of an earlier church, & were built upon & enlarged in the 15th Century.
The featured Memorial Window by artist: Karl Parsons, Erected between 1917 & 1919, named 'Receiving the Crown of Life'
Text below the main scene reads:
'Well done thou good & faithful servant: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord' (Matthew 25:21 and 23). &
Given in memory of Lieut-Col H.M. Henderson, of the Royal Engineers, who was killed in action at Irles, 10 March 1917.
"Four-light window. At the centre of the window the standing, crowned, figure of Christ blesses a soldier in armour, presented by an angel who crowns the soldier. The new Jerusalem is shown in the background. Below an angel greets the three women who visit the empty tomb, In the left-hand light a robed female figure holds a shield and broken sword with fire rising behind and castellated walls, with Christ on the cross above in a mandorla. The right-hand female figure stands with her arm chained, the flowers of a tree around her and the Virgin and Child above in a mandorla. Further angels in the tracery and rays of light emanating from the uppermost light.
Text below the main scene: 'Well done thou good & faithful servant: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord' (Matthew 25:21 and 23).
Given in memory of Lieut-Col H.M. Henderson, of the Royal Engineers, who was killed in action at Irles, 10 March 1917. A further memorial plaque by the artist is also placed below the window, commemorating Bessie Henderson, who died in 1919. This was erected by her husband Commander J.H. Henderson, presumably also the patron of the window.
The figures in the outer lights use cartoons prepared for an earlier memorial window by the artist of 1912 at Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppey, Kent. The window commemorated the early pioneers of flight Charles Stewart Rolls and Cecil Grace, who both died tragically in 1910.
The window is typical of certain kinds of private war memorial windows (in public places) depicting Christ receiving dead servicemen into heaven. Often the text used is that from Revelation 2:10, but here the crown of life is given while the text alludes to Christ's parable of the talents; Lieutenant Colonel Henderson being judged as a good servant. The figure on the left holds the shield with the red cross of the resurrection, repelling the 'fiery darts of the wicked' (Ephesians 6:16). The promise of the resurrection is underlined by the scene at the empty tomb below. The figure on the right represents Hope, although the iconography is unusual. Usually the figure of Hope is shown with an anchor, but the same figure used by Parsons in the Eastchurch memorial window has a quotation from Zechariah set beneath it: 'Turn you to the Stronghold ye prisoners of hope' (9:12). The quotation is in the context of the coming of the messiah, and in the Tenby window the figure of Hope, a prisoner, looks up at the risen Christ." 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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