Diocese of Monmouth
A Short Guide to
ST PETER’S CHURCH, GOETRE,
MONMOUTHSHIRE
By Friends of Torfaen Museum Trust
1996
The Church of St. Peter (SO 326-059) is situated in the village of Goetre (sign
posted Goytre) on the right of the A4042 road from Pontypool to
Abergavenny. Goetre was in that part of the Lordship of Abergavenny called
Pellenig [Penperlleni] - ‘the distant part’.
The register dates from 1695, Rectors are listed from 1539. There are 290
seats. The oldest register contains names throughout in Welsh, many people
having a string of Christian names, (including the patronymic system) as was
used before the introduction of surnames.
Goetre should be more correctly called Goedtref, Goed, from Coed, (Wood),
Tref (Town) giving Woodtown. The description is derived from the forest
with which it was surrounded and it “abounded with recesses and pleasant
glades dotted with white cottages”. The few byroads in the area were
straight, deep, narrow and stony and exhibited occasional traces of paved
causeways, indicating more frequent use in earlier times.
In the pre-Manorial period, at New Grange [Usk] customary tenants held
lands in the hamlets of the Manor, including Penperlleni [Goetre], here the
villeins paid no rent but did one day’s work per week, together with
ploughing, reaping and weeding services. The nature of the soil was poor and
hungry, hence the old rhyme, “Y Goetre dlawd, Heb na bara na blawd” (Poor
Goetre without bread or meal).
The earlier building that was St. Peter’s was simple in form, without a tower,
and in Early Gothic style (dismantled c1844). Little of this edifice remains,
except the S. porch where there are two sandstone heads. St. Peter’s Church
was rebuilt in 1845/6. Today the church is in Early English style.
The Norman font, has cable moulding and semicircles. Nearby is an ancient
oak chest. Two alms dishes are made of yew, 1000 years old. The mediaeval
vestry was moved to the S. side of the nave, but its mediaeval mouldings and
dressings, remain on the W. wall. The churchyard contains yew trees, one of
which is 40 feet in circumference.
The mediaeval roof of the chancel survives. In 1903 the E. window was filled
with stained glass, as a memorial to Thomas Evans, Rector at the time of the
rebuilding of the church. A thought-provoking tablet to D F Pritchard is
inscribed, “He lit fires in many cold rooms”.
In May 1872 a dispute arose between the Rector, Thomas Evans, and a poor
widow, Mrs Waite, over a well of water. She had started sending her children
to a new school, as opposed to the Rector’s own teaching establishment.
Taking umbrage, he stopped her from drawing her pitcher of water, the well
was on his land (newly acquired). Local support rallied around her, and the
Rector instructed his workmen to fill the well with stones, and when the
cottagers dragged them off, he also added the contents of his water closet
and the privies of his tenants. Three months into feuding, the Rectors wife
spent a day on top of the heap of stones, plying hired navvies with drink, to
get them to build up a cairn of 1000 tons of stones, glass etc., over a period
of 2-3 weeks.
Retaliation came at 5.00 a.m. one morning, when Mrs Waite, aided by 35
farmers, and (watched .by four policemen) removed a stone and the well was
reopened 5 hours later.
After 1860, services in Welsh were gradually discontinued. On the death of
the Rector, Thomas Evans, the question of language in the appointment of
his successor arose, and in 1887, an inquiry was held by the Bishop (who
himself acted as interpreter) for the Welsh-speaking witnesses. 48 people
from the Parish were heard, although most of the Welsh speakers attended
the local Welsh chapels.
Traditionally, the last wolf in Gwent was killled under the “Wolf-tree” in the
“Slwch” [Llwch - the wood across the road from Goetre Hall]. It is told that in
the C15 Thomas Herbert of Goetre Hall, illegitimate son of William Herbert,
1st Earl of Pembroke (who lived at Raglan Castle) organised a great
Wolf-hunt to rid the country of an exceptionally mischievous wolf Herbert
rushed in with his huntsman‘s knife, and was grabbed by the thigh. He
survived but was ever known as Gloff (the lame). John Herbert, the last of the
line, left an only daughter, married c1670 to Richard Jenkins, whose
successors are buried in the sanctuary of St. Peter’s.