ST TATHAN CHURCH

An impressive building in the centre of our village of St Athan, its dedication to St Tathan shows that its origins go back centuries before the present 14th century church. Tathan was a fifth or sixth century saint who founded a monastic school at Caerwent, Gwent. He or one of his followers could have established a church here at St Athan. However, in medieval charters, the church is frequently called ‘Ecclesia de Sancta Tathana’ referring to a female saint. Tathana is said to have been a nun who lived in a mud hut on the banks of the river Thaw.

St Tathan’s Church is cruciform in shape, with south porch, nave, chancel, north and south transepts and central tower complete with battlements. The church was restored in 1888-1890, with new windows, flooring, seating and roof. The oldest item in the church is the 12th century font.

The south transept is the burial place of members of the de Berkerolles family, lords of the manor of Bassaleg, near Newport, but who in the 14th century held land at St Athan with their castle at East Orchard. The tomb of Sir William Berkerolles, who is credited with building the church and who died in 1327, and his wife, Phelice de Vere, lies opposite the west wall of the transept though was only moved here in 1934. The finer tomb of Sir Roger Berkerolles (died 1351) and his wife Katherine Turberville is in its original position under a canopied recess on the south side of the transept. Both the tombs have effigies lying on them, the knights in armour and their ladies dressed in wimple, veil and bodice, and were recoloured in 1932. It is difficult to say how much of the original medieval paint remains. Around the tombs are weepers or mourners – soldiers, civic dignitaries and priests – and around Sir Roger’s tomb, shields with the coats of arms of the Berkerolles.

FLEMINGSTON

The village was anciently known as Lanmihangel y Twyn (the Llan of Saint Michael on the hillock), following the Norman invasion of Wales this name was commonly transliterated into Michaelston Le Mont. Robert Fitzhamon gifted both the castle and the "Lordship of St George" to Sir John le Fleming, whose family-maintained possession for generations. As such, the names Flimston, Flimstone and Flemingston gradually came into use. The Welsh version of this name, Trefflemin is a modern appellation.

The area is part of the Cantref of Gorfynydd, historically part of the kingdom of Glamorgan. John le Fleming is said to have gained the manors of St. George, Wenvoe, Flemingston, and Llanmaes. Fleming was married to Amicia, daughter of Baldwin Magnus, Lord of Whitney. Fleming gave the manors of Flemingston and Constantine Walles to a younger son. In 1317, Flemingston was held by Philip le Fleming. It continued in his descendants until, on failure of issue male, William Fleming sold the estate to Lewis Thomas of Bettws; while an alternate account states that the le Fleming line ended in an heiress, who married a Thomas, of Llanfihangel, through whom a sale of the property was made to the Wyndhams of Dunraven.

CHURCH OF ST MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

The 13th century font, a priest’s door on the south side of the chancel, and a niche in the south-east corner of the sanctuary containing a damaged piscina, are medieval survivors of heavy Victorian restoration.

Also surviving, in the south transept, which was built in the 14th century as a funerary chapel for the le Fleming family, is the effigy of Dame Joan Fleming. Wearing an elegant flowing gown, her head on a cushion, her feet resting on a lion, she lies beneath a decorated recessed arch.

Under a plain recess in the north wall of the nave is the stone effigy of an unidentified female. On the wall in the north-east corner of the nave is a large monument to Edward Williams (Iolo Morganwg). The monument was erected in 1855 when the church was restored at the expense of the Countess of Dunraven. It comprises a double tablet with long inscriptions in English and Welsh commemorating Edward Williams as bard, antiquary and stonemason. The adjacent stained glass window is dedicated to the memory of Iolo’s grandson Edward Williams (d. 1889).

ST GILES CHURCH

St Giles’ Church takes its name from the Giles family who are first recorded as lords of the manor in the 14th century. However, the parish was originally called Llanfabon-y-fro, suggesting that the original dedication was to St Mabon, said to have been the brother of Teilo, the second bishop of the south-east Wales. The church dates from the 15th century, replacing an earlier building, and was restored in 1883 and again in 1903. Standing in the grounds of Gileston Manor, it consists of a small tower (rebuilt in 1903), south porch, nave and chancel.

There are a number of memorials in the church to the Giles family and later lords of the manor. However it is south door which is the most interesting feature, probably from the mid-15th century. The oak wood-work is decorated with the heraldic arms of local families, Walsh, Umfraville, Giles, Fleming and Cradock.

A door in the north wall of the nave leads to the stairs to the former rood-loft, and the wooden chancel screen below the arch, rebuilt in 1903, is the original from the 15th century.

ST BRISE CHURCH

Small church probably of c1200 origin, but given a porch and new windows in the early C16. It was restored and re-roofed by William Weir in 1900 in accordance with SPAB principles of sensitive and honest repairs and was probably chosen by Weir for its small scale and unaltered character. Since then it has been untouched as it soon lost its historic purpose. This is the small church of a small parish, of which only it and the adjacent farmhouse now predate the opening of RAF St. Athan in 1938. The airbase perimeter has been moved out around it since it was listed in 1963.

The wall paintings are considered of National Importance by the conservator who worked on them and there is a strong connection to William Morris of Arts and Crafts fame.

GILESTON MANOR

The house contains remnants of a late medieval building, but the exterior and some of the internal fittings date from the 18th century. The building is square in plan and has two main storeys, as well as an attic and cellars. A wide staircase occupies the middle of the house while the front bedrooms are lined with 18th-century wall panelling. The west wing is the oldest part of the building, with roof trussess suggesting it dates to the early 1500s. The exterior south (front) façade is a later remodelling of the early 1700s, with a symmetrical arrangement of windows and a hipped roof. The house has a large 18th-century walled garden and summer house.

The manor is believed to have been held by a family with the surname Jule or Giles, until the last male heir died in 1673. The house was then passed on to two female heiresses and subsequently, during the 18th century, was occupied by a succession of village clerics

The manor house became a Grade II* listed building in 1952

EAST ORCHARD CASTLE

East Orchard Castle is a ruined building near St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, whose remains date mainly from the 14th century.

While it is called a castle, it was not fortified in the style of one and is officially classed as post-medieval and broadly defined as a domestic manor house dwelling. The historic site in its entirety contains a manor house, a barn, a chapel and a dovecote.

The Orchards were built by the Berkerolles family, who received the land from Robert Fitzhammon after the conquest of Glamorgan 1091.

It has been in ruins since the late 18th century, the house having been dismantled from 1756.

Iolo Morganwg (Edward Williams; 1747–1826)

Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg (10 March 1747 – 18 December 1826), was a Welsh antiquarian, poet and collector. He was seen as an expert collector of Medieval Welsh literature, but it emerged after his death that he had forged several manuscripts, notably some of the Third Series of Welsh Triads. Even so, he had a lasting impact on Welsh culture, notably in founding the secret society known as the Gorsedd, through which Iolo Morganwg successfully co-opted the 18th-century Eisteddfod revival.

Edward Williams was born in Pen-onn, near Llancarfan, Vale of Glamorgan, and raised in the village of Flemingston (or Flimston; Trefflemin in Welsh). He followed his father as a stonemason. In Glamorgan, he took an interest in manuscript collection, and learnt to compose Welsh poetry from poets such as Lewis Hopkin, Rhys Morgan, and especially Siôn Bradford.

Some of his stone masonry work is still on display in churches around the Vale of Glamorgan including St Tathan and St Illtyds in Llantwit Major.

GILESTON
Gileston (Welsh: Silstwn) is a small Welsh village near St Athan.

Barry Golf Club, The Leys, Gileston, (now defunct) was founded in 1897/8. In 1917 a new professional arrived at Barry Golf Club by the name of David James Rees. His four-year-old son, Dai Rees, learned the game there and went on to become a legend in world golf, captaining the British Ryder Cup team which beat America in 1957. The club and course were lost in 1957 when Aberthaw Power Station was built on the site.

Gileston/West Aberthaw beach overlooking Limpert Bay has a number of pillboxes which still stand from World War II. It has the arable farm of the Thomas family who have farmed the surrounding land for over 100 years. The village is tiny and previously consisted of little more than the church and the Gileston Manor. In 1771 the Bishop of Llandaff recorded that the population consisted of the rector and his family (who was also the squire of the manor house); a farmer, his wife, son and four servants; an old man and an old woman

EGLWYS BREWIS

Eglwys Brewis is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales. It is located just to the north of the village of St Athan, south of Flemingston and northeast of Llantwit Major. Greenlands and St Mary Church lie to the north by road from Eglwys Brewis.

The village consists primarily of residential estates which were originally built in the mid-20th century for service families stationed at nearby RAF St Athan. The estates are regularly used by driving instructors in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Nant y Stepsau flows in the vicinity

ST ATHAN SITE

Ministry of Defence St Athan or MOD St Athan, formerly known as Royal Air Force St Athan, or more simply RAF St Athan, is a large Ministry of Defence unit near the village of St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan.

The base was home to the RAF No. 4 School of Technical Training throughout its life, as well as a major aircraft maintenance unit. St Athan has also been used to house British Army units, including the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards. At one time it was home to a large collection of historical aircraft.

The only squadron to operate out of St Athan on a regular basis is the Universities of Wales Air Squadron (one of fourteen RAF University Air Squadrons), flying Grob Tutors. 2300 Squadron of the Air Training Corps is also located on the Station.

Between May 1947 and August 1973, St Athan was also home for the Administrative Apprentice Training School, which provided a 20-month training programme for boys who enlisted to become clerks or work in accounting, supply and administration, prior to posting to other RAF units for a 12-year term of service.

St Athan was the designated site for the United Kingdom's new defence training academy, but the programme was cancelled in 2010. The airfield part of the site was transferred from military to civilian control on 1 April 2019. It is now owned by the Welsh Government and known as Bro Tathan airfield and is home to Bro Tathan Business Park.

ST ATHAN VILLAGE

ORIGINS

Legend holds that Tathan was an Irish monk who was in a boat which ran aground at Portskewett, after being blown across the Bristol Channel, around 540 AD. He founded a monastery and school and is said to have been buried in the orchard of the vicarage at Caerwent. However, somewhat confusingly, a Tathan the Younger is said to be buried at St Athan Parish Church, although the exact location of the grave is unknown. Others say the village obtained its name from Tathana, granddaughter of Meuric ap Tewdric of Trebeferad (Boverton), who lived a humble life as a nun in a mud hut on the River Thaw, near the Old Mill; she was associated with the monastic school of nearby Llantwit Major, and was buried at the church 

EARLY HISTORY

Historical records indicate that in the Taxatio (1291) and Valor Ecclesiasticus (1535) the village was named Llandathan and the parish church named simply Tathana's. St Athan's comprised three sub-manors: Castleton, East Orchard, and West Orchard. The early history of the parish of Eglwys Brewis records that it was situated in the manor of St Athan and was held by the same lordship as that of Castleton. Roman coins have been discovered in the vicinity including a find in 1798 in a field between St Athan and Eglwys Brewis. The Castleon manor existed in St Athan from the Norman period under the lordship of the Nerber family. Norman castles were later constructed in West Orchard and East Orchard as manorial residences. In 1320, a Richard de Nerber was said to have "retained only half a knight's fee at St Athan."

However, from around 1240, the Berkerolles family appear to have received entitlements to the manorial estates of West and East Orchard and built a new manor house in West Orchard and later at East Orchard in 1377. The earlier Norman castles appear to have been destroyed by Ifor Bach. The Berkerolles family's influence grew stronger in the 14th century. Sir Roger Berkerolles died in 1351; a tomb is dedicated to him in the parish church, which also contains his parents' remains. The current church is mainly dated to the 14th century, and it is thought the Norman church originally here was ordered to be rebuilt by the Berkerolles. Later, the manor fell under the Stradling family.