The Last Service at St Madocs?

The first four pilgrims led by Iain Tweedale. L to R: Cheryl Tettmar, Iain Tweedale, Jane Moffett, Karen Crussell, Joanne Reed

In a forgotten corner of Wales overlooking St Brides Bay in the garden of St Catherines stands the mythical Harold Stone, which gives its name to the local community. The monument probably dates to the Bronze Age (c. 2300 – 800 BC). The stone measures 5ft 6ins x 3ft 3ins x 2ft 6ins. Cadw means “keeping/preserving” in Welsh and CADW is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. It claims “the monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of prehistoric burial and ritual practices. It is an important relic of a prehistoric funerary and ritual landscape and retains significant archaeological potential. There is a strong probability of the presence of intact burial or ritual deposits, together with environmental and structural evidence. Standing stones are often part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can be further enhanced by their group value. The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.”

Just half a mile up the Haroldston hill lies St Madoc of Ferns. It has stood resolute below the skyline in a hollow which protected it from seafaring Viking invaders fifteen hundred years ago. In 583, St Madoc from Ferns in Ireland, a compatriot of St David, founded the church. It stands on sloping ground at the head of a small river valley.

By the nineteenth century with a prosperous community of agricultural workers, the Victorians rebuilt the church substantially in 1883. They added four stained glass windows dazzling the tiled floor with reds, greens, and blues when the sun shines from a certain angle. In one window stands St Madoc, his docile face carries an enigmatic smile. He is content.