We are the Friends of Friendless Churches — we rescue, repair & protect historic ‘closed’ places of worship in England & Wales.
Friends of Friendless Churches
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In the early 20th century, the architect W.D. Caröe noted the similarities between this effigy and the Countess of Salisbury’s late 13th century effigy in Westminster Abbey.
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A medieval effigy lies on the floor, beneath a simple Gothic canopy, inside St Decumanus's, Rhoscrowther. The name of the person that this effigy commemorates is unknown, having been lost to history. However, we can speculate…
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Our estate officer, David, visits St Deiniol's, Worthenbury to tell you about part of his role in looking after our churches.
Then, in the nave, there is a fine 12th century square scalloped font. Made from Caen Stone, it is believed to have been brought over from Normandy by the Benegers family when they arrived in Pembrokeshire in 1172.
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Thus, we can presume that this effigy is largely contemporary with the rest of St Decumanus's church, which was built in the 13th and 14th centuries in the Gothic style of architecture.
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This effigy clearly depicts a woman, with a draped headdress and her hands clasped in prayer.
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Accordingly, it is thought that this unnamed effigy could have been a member of the Benegers family - a powerful matriarch who wished to be commemorated inside the grand ecclesiastical edifice of which she was the patron?
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The effigy isn’t the only feature that is believed to be connected to the Benegers family of Bangeston, with the elaborate Easter Sepulchre in the chancel also believed to have been commissioned by them.
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It is thought that the Benegers family of the nearby parish of Bangeston were the financial backers behind the construction of the present church in the Middle Ages.
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