Place:St. Pierre, Monmouthshire, Wales

source: Family History Library Catalog

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia

St Pierre is a former parish and hamlet in Monmouthshire, Wales, 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of Chepstow and adjacent to the Severn estuary.

History

The manor of St. Pierre was originally part of the parish of Runston, now a deserted village, and was later amalgamated for civil purposes with the neighbouring parish of Mathern in the late 19th century. It is uncertain whether the name originates from a Welsh family, Pŷr, or is of Norman origin.

Around 1380, St Pierre was owned by Sir David ap Philip, who served under King Henry V in France, and the name of his son, Lewis, was later adopted by his family and descendants as their surname. The manor continued to be held by the Lewis family until about 1910. One decendent of the family - General Lewis still lives in the mansion. Thomas Lewis, Esq., married the daughter of Sir Richard Levett, Lord Mayor of London (died 1711), and other Lewis family members also made propitious marriages. Several members of the family became High Sheriffs of Monmouthshire. Others became Members of Parliament, including Thomas Lewis who was MP for Monmouth, Newport and Usk between 1713 and 1752. His family took over and developed the "New Passage" ferry service across the Severn from Black Rock, in competition with the "Old Passage" service run from Beachley by the Duke of Beaufort. In 1925, the mansion and deer park were sold to Daniel Lysaght.

The church of St Peter has a Norman doorway and windows, but was largely rebuilt in later centuries. In the chancel are two ancient slabs bearing an inscription in Norman French to Urien de St Pierre, lord of the manor who died in 1239.[4] There are also numerous monuments to members of the Lewis family.[5]

The former manor house includes a 16th-century gatehouse, but the remainder of the building was largely built in the 19th century. Major extensions have been added since the house became a hotel in the 1960s.

St Pierre Pill, 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the golf club on the Wales Coast Path, is an anchorage for small boats on the Severn estuary. For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article St Pierre, Monmouthshire.

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