Kearney and Young Family History

We were lucky to have the time to stop off and explore the Margam Abbey and Castle on our way back from Wales. This had been the family home of a branch of the Mansel family and is now owned by Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and run as Margam Country Park.

Within Margam Country Park can be found Margam Abbey, a ruined Cistercian monastery; Margam Castle, a neo-Gothic country house that was once the seat of the Mansel Talbot family; and the 18th-century Orangery.

I really wanted to visit Margam Abbey but we were also able to walk up to Margam Castle too.

Margam Abbey

I bought a photography permit for £1 and took some photos of the beautiful Mansel tombs within the Mansel Chapel at Margam Abbey. The four tombs show members of the Mansel family who held the Margam Estate following the Dissolution. The alabaster tombs illustrate the family wealth.

As well as the alabaster tombs showing recumbent effigies (the males of the line appear in full armour, their wives wear appropriate costume from the period),  there are several wall memorials too.

The four alabaster tombs are for Sir Rice Mansel of Oxwich and Penrice (1487-1559), Sir Edward Mansel (1531-1585), Sir Thomas Mansel (1556-1631) and Sir Lewis Mansel (1638).

The wall memorials are dedicated to Sit Edward Mansel, Sir Thomas Mansel, Sir Rawleigh Bussey, Sir Rich Mansel and Katherine Bussey.

From here it was a short walk to Margam Castle which was built for Christopher Rice Mansel Talbot (1830-1890) in 1840, designed by Thomas Hopper in the Tudor Gothic style.

You cannot see much of the house today although I was very happy to be allowed inside. We did get to see the magnificent central staircase.

There are formal garden and a stable block which now houses a cafe and shop.

There was a wedding taking place on the day we visited so we were unable to visit the Orangery. This was designed by Anthony Keck to house a large collection of citrus trees and built between 1787 and 1790. It is the longest orangery in the British Isles.

We enjoyed our unexpected trip to Margam Abbey and Castle. It is well worth a visit, especially if you have a family connection.

Yesterday I sent my research request off to Carmarthenshire Archives in regards the burial vault of Lady Mary Mansel at St Peter’s Church. I was amazed to receive a response back in a matter of hours.

“Unfortunately, we do not hold the records required. Any alteration to the fabric of a building owned by the Church of Wales, including the erection a memorial tablet, etc., requires official consent i.e. the granting of Faculties on behalf of the archbishop. Faculty records are held at the National Library in Aberystwyth. See: https://archives.library.wales/index.php/diocesan-records-5

….With that said, you are very welcome to visit the archives and carry out the research for yourself. Our staff will provide you with all of the assistance you require.

Relevant catalogues available online are:

https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/b205f57b-2820-39b7-90a0-a3b0516b8fc0

https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/94e70c71-802a-3f99-948a-b830bfe778d4  This catalogue has not been catalogued to item level.

Please also see attached: You could also try contacting the Carmarthenshire Antiquarian Society to see if any work has been done in this area.
See: https://www.carmants.org.uk/

I had not come across Historic Carmarthenshire Homes before and am so happy to have read the pages about Iscoed old and new. It confirms that little bit of information I came across the other day about Iscoed Home Farm being the original home of Sir William Mansel.

Now to contact the National Library in Aberystwyth regarding the granting of Faculties on behalf of the archbishop!

I was doing a little research into family connections with St Peter’s, Carmarthen. When we visited Carmarthen last year we walked past the church and I am annoyed with myself that we did not go in. Since then I have discovered that a few of the children of Sir William and Mary Mansel were baptised in the church:

Rebecca Elisabeth baptised 9th August 1769 at St Peter’s, Carmarthen

Richard Mansel baptised November 10th 1770, at St Peter’s, Carmarthen

William Mansel baptised April 4th 1776, at St Peter’s, Carmarthen

I also discovered that there was a memorial lozenge to Lady Mansel at St Peter’s Church, on the wall near the organ which states the following:

In the family vault in this chancel are deposited the remains of MARY Relict of Sir WILLIAM MANSEL of Iscoed and Daughter of JOHN PHILIPPS Esq. by ELIZABETH his 2nd Wife of Coedgain in this County. In the Christians full hope of a blessed immortality She departed this life in the 66th year of her age.

The memorial lozenge looks to be made of marble and was designed/made by Cooke.

Lady Mary Mansel died in 1811 and was buried at St Peter’s Carmarthen in the family vault on the 3rd January 1813.

I have contacted St Peter’s to see if they have any record of the family vault but they do not think they have any records relating to burials in the vault, they also mentioned that burials ceased in the church yard in 1856. So I have contacted the Carmarthen Records Office first to see if they hold any records of burial vaults at St Peter’s.