Maudlam Medieval Church - Kenfig - Wales, Great Britain. - Medieval Churches on Waymarking.com

"The earliest mention of the Church of St Mary Magdalene (from which the village takes its name) comes in a document which, though undated, can be shown to have been written about the year 1255. At this time both the church and the adjoining community lay outside the Borough of Kenfig. Details concerning them are scant, not least because this village was also known as 'Kenfig' until well into the 18th Century when the name Maudlam gradually replaced it." Text Source: (visit link)

"Very little documentation exists on the origin of the church building with much of its story deduced from documents related to other events in the locality. It is believed the church was built between 1245 & 1266 with a decision to its founding as 1255. It celebrates its Patronal Festival on 22 July.

Maudlam Church dedicated to St.Mary Magdalene was built around the time of 1255 and celebrated its 750th anniversary in 2005. It is believed to have been built to serve the needs of the people of Kenfig who moved to higher ground in order to escape the effects of encroaching sand." Text Source: (visit link)

"The story of Maudlam Church begins in the town of Kenfig with the now long forgotten St James' Church at Kenfig. St Mary Magdalene Church is closely linked with the borough of Kenfig and is officially described in the church records as St Mary Magdalene, Kenfig. Mawdlam or Maudlam is a corruption of Magdalene and the village name arises from the presence of the church. The church of St Mary Magdalene is first mentioned in a deed of the mid 13th century. The precise date of origin of the church cannot be determined but three of the witnesses to the deed are known to have been active between 1245 and 1282.
The Church Tower
The church has a squat perpendicular tower with a crenellated top and is decorated with gorbels on two sides. It houses a single bell cast in 1664 and embossed with the names of Edward Hopkins and Jenkin Howell, Church Wardens - it was re-hung in 1908.

The clock was installed in 1955 as a memorial to the fallen of the two world wars and was originally powered by a weight system. This has now been replaced by an electronically controlled drive. A tablet in the baptistry below the tower records the names of the fallen. The church tower is clearly visible from the sea and has served as a navigation landmark for mariners throughout the centuries and the church graveyard appears to house the village cross.

The Font
The font in St Mary Magdalene Church, Maudlam is of early Norman origin with a distinctive fish-scale pattern all over and rope rim to its upper edge. The font occupies more than its fair share of space in the church with a theory that it was brought to Maudlam Church from the original St James' Church at Kenfig when that became inundated with sand." Text Source: (visit link)

Building Materials: Stone

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Date Logged Log User Rating   04/17/2013 veritas vita visited it